


Close To You

by thelightwrites



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Angst, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gun play, Minor Violence, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:21:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 56,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28728786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelightwrites/pseuds/thelightwrites
Summary: Twenty-five year old Reader is working in the IT department at MI6. One day her boss sends her in his stead to deliver information to the legendary Captain Levi Ackerman, who is working on a case to find an elusive female assassin. While working under the Captain, she finds herself getting attached, and one thing leads to another....
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader, Levi/Reader
Comments: 41
Kudos: 75





	1. opportunity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first fanfiction in a long, long time, so please let me know on any improvements or edits I need to make! I want to say that this idea was heavily influenced by kw_writes's Love, Don't Be Shy, which is a Killing Eve-esque fic. I would also like to mention that the reader-insert's name is Aria Reader, just to keep the flow smooth.  
> I hope you enjoy!

Your eyes flew open at the blaring sound of your alarm clock. Groaning, you rolled over in your bed and reached out to your nightstand, attempting to grab your phone to shut it off. Accidently yanking the charging cord, you heard your phone fall on the floor with a dull thud. You stripped off your warm comforter and rolled out of bed, bending down to grab your phone off the floor. _Fuck, its already seven!_ You dashed into your bathroom and hastily took a shower and prepped your face for the day. After what seemed like an eternity of standing in front of your closet while dripping wet, trying to decide what to wear, you settled for a pair of black cigarette pants and a simple lavender sweater. After tying your hair back with a clip, you grab your work bag, slip on a pair of simple loafers and grab an apple for before running out of your apartment to hail a taxi.

Despite the mayhem of getting ready this morning, luck seemed to be somewhat on your side as a car pulled up in front of you. Climbing in, you rattle off the address of the café located across the street from your work building and settled into your seat. It was a short ride, usually about fifteen minutes depending on traffic, so you used this time to scroll through your social media, sighing wistfully at pictures of your old battle buddies partying it up back in America. Before you could reminisce anymore, however, your phone rang. **Armin Work** flashed across the screen as you sighed and picked up the call.

“Good morning, boss man,” you grumbled.

“Ah yes, the woman of the hour! Good morning Reader! I just wanted to say thank you again. For everything. Hopefully the Captain won’t be mad that I’m not there, honestly I don’t even think he’s gonna notice!” Armin Arlert, your boss, said cheerfully on the other end of the line. Armin was a prodigy, a relatively new hire in the IT department at the MI6 headquarters, but his talents did not go unnoticed and he quickly gained rank, much to your annoyance. Despite being older than him, you had been reporting to him for the last four months, which made him your second boss in the last year that you’d transferred across the ocean.

“Ha ha very funny. You owe me for this Arlert. I can’t believe all these months they have us cooped up in the building and all of a sudden you get called out onto the field. How freaking convenient,” you responded. “If I get fired, I’m bringing your ass down with me!”

Armin chuckled. “You’ll be fine, Aria. If anything happens, tell them to talk to me. Anyways, I gotta go. Don’t stress, you did good work!”

The frown that was beginning to cut across your face deepened. Armin’s talents had gained him popularity and rank, but also a bit of pull from the higher ups. His voice seemed to matter, and that was something new you had experienced. Your four years in active duty military in the States had taught you that your opinion had to be earned, and to know your rank. He seemed to be an exception.

“See you later, Arlert.” You hung up the phone and closed your social media apps. You were suddenly quite nervous. As the driver pulled up to the café, you paid him and gathered your belongings. After stepping out of the car and smoothening your slacks, you suddenly felt a little clammy. Armin had made it seem like his boss was someone to be afraid of. You didn’t know much about Captain Ackerman, just that he had a reputation and a whole lot of medals. He was the best of the best, you knew, but you had never been assigned to any of his cases, so all you had to go off of was whispered rumors and accounts from crying interns or other disgruntled agents.

After walking across the street and flashing your badge, you smiled in greeting to the security guard in the lobby. After running your bag through the scanners, you jogged to the elevators, your heart starting to thrum in your chest. As you waited for the elevator, you checked your watch almost incessantly. _It’s only 7:45, I still have time._ One thing Armin had warned you about the night before was that the Captain was a stickler for, well, just about anything. You definitely didn’t want to make a poor first impression. The elevator doors opened in front of you and you stepped inside, frantically pushing the button to your floor.

As the doors slid open, you jogged to your office, throwing your bag into your chair and starting up your monitors. Sliding your keys out of your pocket, you unlocked your drawers and pulled out the files you had compiled last night. After locking everything, you grabbed your badge and keys and shuffled over back to the elevators, clutching the folder to your chest. Now your heart rate was really starting to pick up, and you felt the unfamiliar sting of unease in your stomach. You hadn’t felt this nervous to meet a higher up in a long time. Your entire military career, you were known as someone who was in charge, the person who knew what was going on, even as a lower enlisted soldier. You couldn’t pin point why you were suddenly so anxious, but you attempted to swallow it down and even out your breathing as the elevator dinged on the 37th floor.

You walked out on to the hall, suddenly feeling way in over your head. You weren’t used to being in the middle of action, your job had always required you to be pulling strings from behind the scenes, but this, being on the detective’s floor, you were overwhelmed by the number of agents swarming around, all in a hurry to be somewhere or to do something. Some looked ragged, like they had just returned from a mission, and you felt a twinge of sympathy as you knew what that haggard feeling was like. You approached the desk at the reception, feeling very out of place. You pushed your glasses up the bridge of your nose before smiling at the receptionist.

“Good morning! I’m looking for Captain Ackerman’s office?” You greeted the lady behind the desk. She glanced at you quickly before pointing to your right.

“Down the hall, it’s the third door on your left. Make sure you don’t track in any dirt.” She responded glumly. _Dirt?_ You echoed in your head. After thanking her, you make your way to the entrance of his office. Each door was the same boring wooden color, but you knew the people behind the doors were one of a kind. They called the shots around here, as earning an office on the 37th floor was deemed to be somewhat of an accomplishment. You found the door that read **Ackerman, L CPT** and knocked. You suddenly felt like you couldn’t breathe, like it was your board interview all over again and you were going to be judged from the minute you stepped into this door.

“Name and business?” A sullen, deep voice answered from the other side of the door. You spoke up. “Agent Reader from IT, sir. I have some documents from Agent Arlert.”

“Come in,” he responded. After a deep breath, you turned the knob and entered Captain Ackerman’s office.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone other than Arlert. I thought I had made that very clear when I gave him the assignment yesterday,” he said, in that same emotionless tone. You let out a deep exhale as you closed the door and turned to face him.

In front of you was one of the most unique looking people you had ever met. Captain Ackerman had eyes that could cut through you like a knife, steel grey and cold. They were shadowed by a fringe of almost jet-black hair that framed his sharp face. On his desk was a singular cup of tea, a small stack of folders and his computer. Everything was so tidy, it was a little intimidating. You were taken aback, but only for a second as you remembered your purpose for being there. You cleared your throat slightly before responding.

“I apologize, sir. Agent Arlert was pulled into a mission rather unexpectedly this morning. Since we worked on your assignment together yesterday, he asked me to deliver the information to you in his stead. I hope you don’t mind,” you said coolly. Captain Ackerman let out a short sigh before raising his hand, gesturing you to come closer. Opening the envelope, you began emptying the contents of the file.

“Yesterday, you came to us with a burner phone that had only one call on it, and you had asked us to trace the call. We were able to pull that the call was made from a pay phone and we found a five-mile estimated radius of where the call occurred. Utilizing street cameras, we were able to identify this man making a call that matched the time stamp from the cell phone.” You pointed to a slightly blurry photo of a blonde man in his mid-twenties. “His name is Reiner Braun. We combed through the MI5 and MI6 databases to find his information. I hope this is helpful for your case.”

You paused, allowing the Captain to sink in the information as he perused the paperwork you had spread out on his desk. He nodded slightly, and you took that as a sign of affirmation before taking a deep breath and continuing.

“As for the second assignment, the picture of the woman, I am sorry to say we were unable to find a match. Whoever she is, or whoever she works for, they have done a very good job of making it seem like she doesn’t exist.” You paused as the Captain’s eyes flitted up at you before he put down the paperwork and leaned forward on his desk.

“So, what are you saying, it’s a dead end?” he asked. You shook your heard slightly, taking a moment to settle your nerves before straying off script.

“At first, I thought so too. But last night I remembered something. The case Armin described, a sophisticated killer targeting influential businessmen and government officials, sounded very familiar. When I was working at the CIA, my second year in I had a friend who was complaining to me that her boss was having her work on a case that was impossible. It was of an elected official who was mysteriously found dead. She said she didn’t understand why the FBI wasn’t handling it, but her boss was set on the idea that the killer was foreign. I never found out what the outcome of the case was because I had transferred here, but if you’re okay with it, I can reach out and try to get some information. If you’re okay with it, of cou-,”

Before you could finish your sentence, Captain Ackerman cut you off. “You were in the CIA?”

“Yes sir, two years. Four years active duty prior to that.” You responded a little breathlessly.

“I see. Alright then. I am not expecting much, but see if you can get any information, however you see fit.” You nodded, understanding his gist. _By any means possible, even if I have to go under the radar._ “You are excused, Agent. Let Arlert know that you are now assigned to my team for this case. From tomorrow onwards you report to me, here. Any questions?”

Your heart swelled. This was a compliment, no matter how poorly delivered. “Yes, sir. I look forward to working with you, sir.”

He handed you a business card, which contained his contact information. You slipped it into your pocket and walked out the door with a small smile on your face. Digging your phone out of your pants, you text Armin a “thumbs up” emoji, and sauntered your way to the elevators. Finally, _finally_ , after almost a full year of meandering around, working on small cases, acting as tech support for stupid agents who could never remember their passwords and fixing projectors for Commanders and Captains before meetings, you were finally a part of a huge case, working under the legendary Captain Ackerman. You allowed yourself a small squeal of delight in the elevator before it stopped on the 32nd floor and you had to make way for other people to get in.

Sinking down into your chair at your desk, you checked your watch and frowned. It was only 8:43 am, which meant it was past midnight back in America. You didn’t want to disturb your old colleague, so you decided to wait until you got home tonight to contact her. You spent the rest of the morning organizing and reorganizing your files that you and Armin had compiled last night. You were in the middle of renaming a folder for the third time when you heard Armin enter the office and triumphantly slam his work bag on his chair. Grinning, he made his way over to you saying, “See Aria? I knew you could do it! I had utmost faith in you, and you delivered.”

“Yeah, yeah. Save the sugar coating for someone else,” you waved off his compliments with a slight smile on your face. “By the way, the Captain assigned me to his team for the case. I hope that’s not a problem.” Of course, even if it was, you definitely didn’t care. This was a huge opportunity, you weren’t going to let it go. Despite that, deep down, you didn’t want to let Armin down. Hearing his praise only validated your efforts, and you enjoyed this small feeling of accomplishment. Armin simply smiled and blinked his big, blue eyes at you.

“Of course it’s not a problem! Just keep me in the loop as much as you can okay?” He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “This case seems really cool, you know? I wanna know everything!”

You couldn’t help but smile back at him. “The Captain wasn’t that scary you know. I don’t know why you sent me up there quacking in my boots. He looked like he was just drinking some tea and pondering life when I went in.”

“Oh just you wait. You are in for it, trust me,” he said solemnly. He walked back over to your desk and you stared at your computer screen until your phone rang. You answered it, hoping it was someone from upstairs who needed material for the mission.

“Agent Reader, how can I help?” You said brightly. _No wonder people think we’re tech support, I sound like someone from the goddamn Apple Store!_

To your dismay, the voice from the other end responded with, “Hi, can you please help me? My printer isn’t working and I know it for sure has paper in it.”

You rolled your eyes and said, “Submit a work ticket and I’ll be up there as soon as possible.” You hung up the phone and sighed. _Why are people so dumb?_

~

That night, you waited until after six o’ clock to pick up the phone. Your stomach was turning a little, from nerves and a little anticipation. It’s not like you had ended any of your friendships on bad terms, but with the distance and time difference, maintaining relationships became increasingly more difficult, and before you knew it, you hadn’t spoken to anyone back home in over two months. You found Sasha’s number and pressed dial before you could talk yourself out of it. It would be around ten in the morning for her, hopefully she wasn’t in a meeting, or knowing Sasha, eating out somewhere. After two rings, she answered.

“Hello? Aria! Hello lady! Where have you been?” You smiled as the tension in your stomach unfurled. Sasha was the same then, bubbly as ever.

“Hey girl! I have been good. You know the same old day to day. How is everything back home? I miss you guys!”

Truth be told, you really did miss your friends back home. You missed your officemates at the CIA, a bunch of junior agents messing around and acting tough. It hasn’t been easy making friends at MI6, not when everyone walked around like they had a stick up their ass. The only person you found yourself slightly comfortable around was Armin, and that was frustrating because you were the one who wanted to hate him in the first place.

Sasha launched into her recount of her days at the CIA, naming people you couldn’t remember, talking trash about stupid people who were getting promoted which you couldn’t help but laugh at, and about the fact that her and Connie were thinking about moving in together. You let out a small whistle at that piece of information.

“Damn Sasha. You guys have gotten that serious? Wow, I am so happy for you guys! This is huge!” It wasn’t like you weren’t expecting it, those two were like two peas in a pod. The only barrier was work, but you guessed they were able to work past it.

“Yeah, it just makes sense you know? We’re always at one or the other’s place, why not just combine them? The only downside it that Connie can eat my snacks whenever he wants to now…” she trailed off. You laughed at that. “What about you? Any sexy British men stealing your heart under those cold, grey skies?”

The mention of cold and grey flashed a mental image of a one Captain Levi Ackerman, with his stormy eyes gazing into you. You shook your head slightly before responding. “Unfortunately not. I am merely just too hot for everyone here.”

Sasha giggled. “Hey now, worst case you come back here and you can find that one hot First Sergeant from your old unit.”

You flushed at the memory of First Sergeant Miche, one of your higher ups from your last unit before the big move to Washington D.C. He was really good at his job, and always called you out on your choice of perfume every time you had a meeting with him. You constantly had to remind him that wearing perfume was not out of regulation and that he just had a sharp nose, and he would always return your comment with a wink and smile that had you weak at the knees.

“Anyways,” you said teasingly, “I’m sorry to spring up on you like this, but I actually really need a favor.”

“What’s up, girly?” Sasha said. You took a deep breath and asked her about the case. She was silent for a few seconds before responding with a long “Ohhhhhhhh….Oh man. That case touches a nerve. We never solved it. No matter how close we got, that bitch would just disappear again. So we had to give it up. The boss was not happy, he practically quit after we shut the books, but they just transferred him to some field office in Ohio. Anyways, I’ll have to do some digging, see what I can find, and if I get anything I’ll send it to your special email.”

The special email was the domain you had made in high school, which you used to use to chat with Sasha with her special email on your government laptops during trainings. It became sort of an inside joke, since you weren’t allowed to have any phones during some classes, and you both began using it to send files back and forth so it remained undetected. It was Sasha’s idea, and Connie helped her encrypt the messages to that they were practically untraceable. It was harmless, really, but it felt good to have some way to go around the big strong walls of CIA.

“Thank you, Sasha. Seriously, you’re saving my ass here,” you said.

“No worries. I have to go, we have a meeting in ten, but I’ll do some digging today and send you what I can find tonight. Okay?”

“Yes, of course! No rush. Thanks again!” You hung up the phone and threw your head back on your couch. You hoped Sasha found something, the last thing you wanted was to go back to Captain Ackerman empty handed.


	2. setback

You didn’t let yourself sleep that night. You knew it was fruitless, but you found yourself refreshing your email every fifteen minutes, well into the night. Eventually, exhaustion took over and you succumbed to your need to sleep. Somehow, as if on autopilot, you found yourself waking up again at nearly six in the morning, and to your delight, you had an email from Sasha with an attachment. After doing a little happy dance, you hopped out of bed and ran to print copies of the report before jumping into the shower. After getting ready for day, you downloaded the report on a backup drive to give to Captain Ackerman. Your phone buzzed to remind you of your new schedule, which included an early debrief with the Captain and his team at 7:30 in the morning. Groaning, you compiled everything and placed it neatly in your work bag before making breakfast and calling a taxi.

On your way to work, you found yourself itching to go over the report, but based off the initial pictures alone, it was too gruesome to read in public. Sighing, you settled into your seat and pulled out your phone and the Captain’s business card. You pondered over the idea of sending him a text to inform him of your findings rather than surprising him with the information first thing in the morning. _It’s always better to be in the know, right?_ With a deep exhale, you typed in his number and drafted a message. **Got the report back from the CIA. Will give it to you before debrief. -Reader**

You frowned at the screen. _This should be good enough, no?_ Not wanting to overthink it, you pressed send and locked the screen, heart beating quickly in your chest. _Why am I so nervous? I’m just texting my boss, it’s no big deal._ Almost immediately, your phone buzzed again, and your heart leapt into your throat – he responded. **Sounds good, see you soon.**

You took a deep breath, and found yourself smiling like some idiotic schoolgirl. _This is your boss, goddamnit! Get it together!!_ Your taxi had pulled up so you paid the driver and exited the car. This time, you went straight to his office, not wanting to waste any time before the morning debrief. There was a slight sense of pride in your walk as you brushed past the receptionist this time, finally knowing where you had to go, but when you knocked on the Captain’s door, there was no response. Frowning, you pulled out your phone and sent him another text. **Where are you? I’m outside your office.** You nearly slapped your forehead in frustration when he responded with **The conference room.** You turned on your heel and made your way to the oh-so-familiar conference room, a place you considered a second office with the number of times you were called up there for various work tickets.

Before opening the door, you took a moment to yourself, adjusted your bag and smoothed out your clothes. Due to lack of sleep you had gone simple again this morning, a pair of black trousers and black turtleneck and your basic leather loafers. Before you could think twice about it, you took out the claw in your hair and let it fall over your shoulders and opened the door.

“Good morning, sir!” You greeted the Captain, who was connecting his laptop to the projector. He looked impeccable as ever, wearing a creaseless white button up tucked into black trousers that were held up by a black belt. Without moving, he looked up at you and gave you a small nod in greeting. Knowing you were about to be in the presence of Ackerman’s squad, you walked over to a seat in the back of the room, and placed your bag on the chair. You wondered briefly what they were like. They were elites obviously, Armin had told you they were handpicked by the Captain himself.

“You have something for me, I presume?” Captain Ackerman’s curt voice cut through your thoughts. You looked up and walked over to him with the pen drive and a folder in your hands.

He flipped through the file, scanning the words and horrific pictures as he held out his hand. You dropped the pen drive in it and stood there, feeling slightly giddy. Standing up close, you were able to see him in a better light, entranced by the sharp cut of his jawline and cheekbone, the slight sway of his hair as he breathed, and those sharp, steel eyes that captured every detail of the papers in his hands. As he closed the folder, you cleared your throat slightly and stood up straighter, hoping you weren’t caught gaping.

“We’ll go through this in detail when everyone gets here. Thank you for getting this, Reader, it’s more than what we have for now,” he said, making eye contact with you for the first time since you stepped in the room. You shivered slightly, it was intimidating being the subject of his gaze. “I’m going to get some tea, can you set this up for me while I’m gone?”

You had to suppress the urge to roll your eyes as he walked past you to the door. _I guess it’s not like you’re leaving me much of a choice._ As you leaned over the computer, your hair fell over your face, and after a few seconds of fighting your locks, you grabbed your clip and tied it back again before continuing your work. As you finished sharing the screen and connecting the remote, you heard the door open again.

Stepping inside was a tall, broad shouldered man who walked in like he owned the room. His sandy blonde hair was combed nearly to the side and his icy, blue eyes were shrouded by thick, bushy eyebrows. His eyes swept the room before landing on you and his gaze immediately softened.

“Good morning. I don’t believe I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance. My name is Commander Smith, but you can just call me Erwin if you’d like,” he said. As he walked over to you, he stretched out his hand in greeting. You shook it, feeling suddenly very small, before giving him a quick smile.

“Agent Aria Reader, sir, from IT. It’s good to meet you,” you responded. He stepped back and placed his bag next to his seat.

“American, huh? Wonder what made you fly all the way over here?” he teased as he took his seat.

“Don’t answer that,” a stern voice came from the doorway. You shifted your gaze and saw the Captain standing in the frame, holding a steaming cup in his hands. As he walked in, he gave a slight nod to Commander Erwin and made his way to the head of the table. The Commander responded with a light chuckle.

“If you’re all done here, Reader, you can take a seat. The others will be here shortly,” he dismissed you. As you turned to walk to the back of the room, you could have sworn you saw him looking at your hair, now tied back in a claw, before setting his cup on the table. You brushed it off, the lack of sleep getting to your head, as you sat in your seat and readied the folders for the presentation.

After a few minutes, the door opened again and group of four people walked in. You looked up and saw three males, all tall and built, followed by a woman who was maybe a couple inches shorter than you with short blonde hair and sideswept bangs. They all greeted the Commander and Captain and settled down in the seats surrounding you. The woman was the first to notice you.

“Oh hello! Didn’t know there was someone new joining us. I’m Special Agent Ral, but you can just call me Petra!” the young woman smiled brightly and stuck her arm out from across the table to shake your hand. You took it, introducing yourself to her and the other companions. They each told you their names: Special Agent Eld Jinn, Special Agent Oluo Bozado, and Special Agent Gunther Shultz. _So this is the elite Levi Squad._ You felt really lame, being in the presence of established agents, but before you could wallow in your misery, the door opened again, this time revealing an older woman with a thick pair of glasses and hair up in a messy ponytail. She walked in carrying a bag and multiple items in her arms, and you heard the Captain give a slight “Tch” in disapproval.

“For fucks’ sake, Hange, why do you have so much crap?” he said. The woman, Hange, smiled brightly and said, “Good morning to you, too! Haven’t had your first cup of tea yet, I see?” She laughed and took a seat across Commander Erwin. You suddenly remembered who she was. Special Agent Zoe Hange, who was actually working in the IT department when you first started last year. She had helped you settle in and showed you the ropes, before she got a huge promotion and became a Forensics Director. You smiled to yourself, glad that she was thriving in her new position, even if she hadn’t noticed your presence in the room yet. As Director Hange arranged her items, Captain Ackerman cleared his throat, and everyone’s attention went to him. He dimmed the lights and began the debrief.

“Good morning all. First things first, we have a new member on our team. Agent Aria Reader is going to be our technical analyst on this case,” he announced. You felt your cheeks flush as all eyes turned to you. You gave a small wave and said, “I’m looking forward to working with you all.”

Director Hange’s eyes flew wide in recognition, but before she could say anything, Captain Ackerman cut her off. “In front of you is a report from the American CIA. Supposedly they had a cold case that involved our assassin, and Agent Reader was able to retrieve this information from them. We can see that cause of death is similar to what we have been dealing with, lethal injection of an unknown substance. However, we now have a murder weapon.” Captain Ackerman flipped through the pictures on his laptop to showcase a hairpin. You blanched. _She killed him with a hair accessory?_ As you squinted harder, you noticed that the pin had a small needle protruding from the end.

“Can you zoom in for me, please?” Director Hange piped up. She was furiously taking notes in a journal, and you could practically hear the gears turning in her head. You turned your attention back to the screen, watching the hairpin grow bigger. As your eyes adjusted to the image from behind your contact lenses, you noticed something on the other side. Straining to see the details, you could just make out a small V inscribed into the pin.

“Do you guys see that, too?” you asked, meekly. Everyone looked at the picture again. “Just at the end there, is a small inscription. It looks like a V, right?”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Petra and Eld nodding, and Gunther pointing it out for Oluo to see. You wondered what the initial could mean, and why an anonymous assassin would use a personalized weapon in the first place. The Captain seemed to be on the same page as you because you heard him say, “Must be a conceited little bitch, since she’s brave enough to leave her mark at the scene of the crime.”

Clearing his throat, he looked up at the rest of the table. “We have another piece of information. One of her accomplices was identified yesterday. We have a name and address, and today we’re going to scout his place, see if we can find anything that can give us some information as to who they work for. I’ll need Gunther and Reader for this mission.” He looked at Commander Erwin for approval, who just nodded. You felt your stomach drop, hearing him call your name. “I need everyone to be up to date with all this new information. Go through everything in this file. If you’re not on a mission today, get to training. Dismissed.”

The lights turned on and everyone began shuffling around the table. The four Special Agents were murmuring to themselves before three of them left. Director Hange and Commander Smith began exchanging paperwork and left the room as well. All that was left was you, Gunther and the Captain himself.

You listened attentively as he relayed the plan for the mission. It was just meant to be a scouting trip, no anticipated interactions, and you were going to be in charge of lookout, with Gunther as the driver as backup if necessary. Once he was done, you were sent to gather all your equipment and meet back in his office at as soon as possible to address his commo gear. You relaxed a little at that, this was something you were good at, so maybe you won’t feel so out of place.

Back in your office, you put away your belongings before giving a quick wave to Armin, who was on the phone with someone, and walked over to the supply room. You carefully grabbed two wire mics as well as a field laptop and a couple Bluetooth tracking devices. After checking out the items you headed back to the 37th floor and knocked on the Captain’s office door.

“Name and business,” Captain Ackerman called out from inside. You rolled your eyes before responding, “Agent Reader, sir. I have your equipment ready.”

The door opened in front of you and you were suddenly face to face with the Captain himself. You held up your bag and he gestured for you to enter. As you walked in for a second time you looked around, getting a better view of the office. The right side wall was entirely lined with bookshelves, mostly containing book and few knickknacks as well. You assumed they were personal items, and continued to peruse the room. You were familiar with the desk in the middle, and on the left wall, under the displayed medals and awards was a simple station with an electric kettle and some jars with what you assumed was filled with tea bags. You had to suppress a laugh, imagining the Captain standing over the shelf brewing his own tea every morning.

“So, are you going to mic me up or not?” you heard the Captain say behind you. You turned around and almost lost your breath. He was standing before you, no longer wearing the clean white shirt. You resisted the urge to ogle at his torso, but his thin undershirt left very little to imagination. You cleared your throat and nodded, setting your bags down and unrolling the mic. Hesitantly, you stepped towards him, unsure if he was okay with you touching him, but his eyes just bored into you, waiting for you to make your move. Clutching the tracker and mic, you stepped behind him and lifted his shirt lightly. You could practically feel his muscles move under your hands as he straightened up so you could attach the battery box to his trousers. You tried to keep your breathing even, not wanting to notice his intoxicating scent of cologne. After setting it in place, you plugged in the mic and began wrapping it around his body, keeping your head down so you didn’t make eye contact. You came to a stop just before his chest, and with slightly trembling hands you clipped the mic onto the collar of his undershirt. As you checked your work, you could feel Captain Ackerman’s slight breathing on your left ear. Blushing slightly, you stepped back and wound your hands behind your back, toying with your fingers as you watching him strap his shoulder holster on over his chest and shrugging a dark brown leather jacket over everything.

As he stood up straight to make final adjustments you put your own earpiece in and set the frequencies on the mic and your radio. There was a knock on the door before Gunther stepped in, waving to you in greeting. You smiled back, but internally you were fuming. _Why didn’t he get asked for his name and business like everybody else?_ You snuck a glance at Captain Ackerman and were shocked to find that his grey eyes were on you, watching you fiddle with your equipment and that he hadn’t taken notice of his colleague’s entrance.

“I’m ready to get set up, Reader, if that’s okay with you,” Gunter said. You picked up the second set of communication devices and made your way over to the Special Agent. Thankfully, he was wearing jeans and he slipped the box into his pocket and clipped the bud of the mic on his own shirt collar. You were grateful, because there was no way you would have been able to reach up there without embarrassing yourself. You adjusted the wire quickly before going back and checking your work. With both men suited up, you turned on your earpiece to initiate a quick radio check.

“Do you guys have call signs?” you asked. Both pairs of eyes turned to look at you before looking at each other. Gunther smiled and said he was okay with anything you chose. You shook your head before laughing. “That’s not how it works. I need something you are comfortable with.”

“Fine then I’ll be 47 since that’s my lucky number. Levi’s can be Clean Freak!” Gunther exclaimed, chuckling. Captain Ackerman scowled at him. “I will just be Captain.” He responded.

“Okay sounds good,” you said, bringing the mouthpiece closer. “Captain this is Reader, radio check. Over.”

“Reader this is Captain. Good copy, over,” you heard the Captain’s deep voice ring clearly in your ear. You nodded in his direction before bringing the mouthpiece up again. Gunther’s radio check went smoothly as well and you felt a small feeling of accomplishment.

Once everyone was fully geared up, you loaded your equipment into the back of the van that had been assigned to your team. With Gunther driving and Captain Ackerman in the passenger seat, you made yourself busy by getting accustomed to the state-of-the-art machinery in the van. You couldn’t help it, you were excited for your first mission out on the field, and it had been so long that you were able to utilize mobile tactical equipment. You messed around with the GPS tracker, which were attuned to Gunther’s, Captain Ackerman’s and your own Bluetooth devices.

Before you knew it, the van was coming to a halt, and you heard the doors open. You heard Captain Ackerman and Special Agent Gunther exchange some words before Gunther returned to the driver’s seat. As the Captain’s blue dot crossed the street on your screen, there was a faint crackle in your ear before you heard, “Reader this is Captain, radio check.”

“Good copy, Captain,” you responded and you pressed your face against the back window to get a better look. You were parked in an alleyway between two sets of apartment buildings. It wasn’t shabby but it wasn’t the clean cobblestone pathway you were used to either. There were couple of garbage bags chucked out on the street but the rest of the passage was empty. Captain Ackerman had left the alleyway and entered the apartment building to your right. You felt your heart thrumming in your chest, not only from the adrenaline of your first mission, but because you were nervous. You didn’t know what Captain Ackerman was getting into, whether he would meet someone or even have to fight. After what felt like an eternity, you heard his voice through your earpiece again.

“Shit. We were too late. He’s dead. Apparent suicide. Gunther, call Erwin and Hange and alert them of the situation. Send a forensics team down here as soon as possible. Reader, you and I are going to canvas the area.” You heard Gunther kill the engine and hop out the driver’s seat. You quickly locked your monitors and holstered your gun. After jumping out of the back, you looked down at yourself and grimaced. You weren’t exactly dressed for a canvassing expedition. In fact, if you hadn’t been carrying an M-9 on your waist, you looked you didn’t belong out here at all.

After climbing up two flights of stairs, you met Captain Ackerman outside the door of Reiner Braun’s apartment. It looked exactly like how you remembered during your initial research with Armin, but the inside was a mess. Furniture and clothing were ransacked everywhere, and you didn’t even want to step closer for fear of finding the body. You exchanged a terse look with the Captain and followed him out of the building. He crept through the alleyway parallel to the one with your parked van, checking every nook and cranny for a possible attempt at a break in. You stood behind him as he worked, admiring his agile movements and soft, almost invisible footsteps. This man was gifted, everything he did was done with precise calculations, and you couldn’t help but feel in awe.

After circling the building a few times, you both decided to split up and interview some neighbors to see if they saw or heard anything suspicious. Most of the people you asked merely shrugged their shoulders, but the lady in the apartment adjacent to Braun’s had mentioned he heard some arguing between him and a woman. She assumed it was a girlfriend of some sort, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying and ignored it. You thanked her for the information and made your way back down. As you exited the building, you let your eyes adjust to the sun for a minute before realizing the street was swarmed with MI6 agents. You recognized Director Hange who was talking to someone and Gunther who was chatting with his friends, Petra and Eld. You were left to your devices so you went back to the van and decided to wait out the chaos until it was time to go back to headquarters. As you relaxed in the passenger seat, fiddling with the temperature controls, you noticed a quick movement from behind the trash bags you had noted earlier. It was a slight rustle, _maybe from the wind?_ You blinked a few times and saw a slim figure dart out from behind the bags and sprint down the alleyway. Your heart hammering in your chest, you jumped out of the van and began running down the same direction, hoping to get a better view of the runner, but by the time you reached the end of road, there was no one to your left and right. Catching your breath, you leaned against the wall and tried to remember as many details as possible.

The person was small and quick, definitely a woman. _Could it be the assassin? Maybe she wanted to see the aftermath of the argument? Maybe Reiner has something in the apartment that she was looking for?_ You weren’t sure how to even explain what you saw to the Captain, and as you walked back to the van you composed yourself to the best of your abilities, not wanting to raise any suspicions. You weren’t sure about anything, and you didn’t want to wreak havoc on an already confused apartment complex.

Eventually, Gunther and Captain Ackerman both returned to the van, walking up to you sitting in the back, aimlessly swinging your legs. You stood up as they came closer, hoping they would give you a crumb of information or insight of the apartment. To your disappointment, the Captain just walked up to his seat and Gunther gave you a quick wave before closing the back doors in your face. The van slowly rumbled to life and you were back on the road. After shutting everything down, there wasn’t much left you to do but hunker down and take a nap.

You woke up to someone shaking your arm, and a stern voice cut into your dreams. “Oi, Reader, wake up. We’re back.” Your head shot up and you blinked the sleep out of your eyes as you watched Captain Ackerman hop out of the van and into the building. Feeling slightly embarrassed, you gathered your things and scurried inside.

~

The aftermath of the mission led to a few hours of paperwork and trailing an excited Hange, who was able to snag a few items from the apartment, including a hairpin that looked to be an exact replica of the one you saw in the report. She was busy trying to pull prints from whatever she could find, hoping to get something on the assassin. As you watched her work, you introduced yourself to the man she was talking to earlier that day, who turned out to be her assistant. Agent Moblit had been working with Director Hange since her promotion, and seemed to take pride in his job and his boss. You wondered if there was a day when you would feel this way about Captain Ackerman or even Armin.

That night, you took a long bath in your apartment, musing over the day’s events. It seemed insane, that the man you were just researching the day prior had turned up dead, supposedly by his own hands. It seemed like a last resort effort to get out of whatever shitty situation he was dealing with, and it scared you to think that the woman you were going after was entrapped in all that. With pruny fingers, you pulled yourself out of the bathtub and hopped into the shower to rinse. Not even a minute later, you heard your phone ring and you jumped. Throwing on a robe you scrambled to your bedroom to answer it, not even bothering to check the caller’s name.

“Hello?” you answered cautiously, water dripping uncomfortably down your back. “Tch,” you heard the Captain respond on the other end. Your eyes widened when you realized he had called you, that too on your personal number and after hours.

“Looks like you _can_ answer the phone after all. I need you to come in, right now.” He hung up before you could protest. You looked dejectedly at the delicious dinner you had waiting for you post-shower, made yourself presentable, and hauled ass back to the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay the plot thickens! Sorry for the minimal interactions between you and Levi, I did mention this is a slowburn! I am very excited for all the action planned in the upcoming chapters, so stay tuned! Any feedback or critique is appreciated as I am still quite rusty. Thanks!


	3. intrusion

It took you longer than usual to get back to the office, having to deal with the evening traffic, and by the time you stepped into the elevator, your hair was already dry. Frantically, you ran your fingers through the strands, trying to make some sense out of it before twisting it up into your usual clip. It was weird being here this late, you decided. The lack of bustle and dark windows made you feel a little uneasy, added to the fact that the Captain had demanded your return with no explanation at all. You rounded the corner to the office and hesitantly knocked on the door.

“Come in!” you heard Hange’s bubbly voice answer from inside. You smiled a little when you heard her say “Shut up Levi, you already know who it is. She’s the only one left.”

As you pushed the door open you saw Captain Ackerman, Director Hange and Commander Erwin all mulling around the room, still in their work clothes from earlier. You felt slightly guilty, having just come out of a nice bath since you left a couple hours ago. Cautiously, you entered the room, fully aware that all eyes were on you. Commander Smith cleared his throat and spoke up first.

“I’m sorry to have called you in on such short notice, Agent. Unfortunately, something has come up that needed to be addressed right away, for everyone’s safety. Today, there was a package that was delivered to the Captain with no return address. It passed through the routine screenings, so the contents were not inherently of any danger. However…” The Commander trailed off, looking over at Captain Ackerman. He was standing next to his desk with his arms crossed and the usual frown on his face, except now his stony eyes were cast to the bookshelf on the wall, as if he purposely did not want to make eye contact with anyone. With a sharp inhale, Commander Smith directed his attention back to you as Director Hange stepped forward with a small parcel. You watched in total confusion as she pulled out a teddy bear and a white envelope.

“What am I looking at?” you wondered aloud. Captain Ackerman clicked his tongue in annoyance before grabbing the bear and envelope from Hange’s hands. “It’s a message, obviously,” he said. He stood in front of you, thrusting the contents of the mysterious box in your hands. Looking down you saw a cute caramel colored bear, a typical toy found at any department store, but to your horror you realized that someone had meticulously stitched over the button eyes with black X’s and that there was a drop of blood spilling from the bear’s mouth. You look up at everyone with wide eyes as you processed the image, but it didn’t take much detective work to figure out what this meant. With pursed lips, he took back the bear and nodded towards the envelope. Trembling slightly, you pulled out a carefully folded paper, and felt your heart race as you slowly unfolded it.

The image printed on the paper threw you in a loop. In front of you was a black and white, albeit blurry, photo of you sitting in the passenger seat of the van outside Reiner Braun’s apartment complex with your feet on the dashboard. Recognition dawned on you as you realized this picture was taken moments before you saw the movement behind the trash bags. Your intuition was right, then. At that moment, your brain felt like mush, as hundreds of questions and theories began playing themselves out. Hange seemed to sense your rising feeling of anxiety so she pushed past the Captain and laid a hand on your shoulder.

“We don’t know if this means anything, okay? It could be an empty threat now that she knows we’re tailing her and her friends. We had Petra and Eld bring in the informant, Bertholdt, a couple hours ago. He was the dead guy’s friend apparently. If anything, this means we’re getting closer to finding her, right?” Hange was trying her best to console you, but you didn’t understand why. You looked down at the picture, and at the teddy bear and then back again. Finally, it clicked. This _was_ a message, but in two-fold.

One: She knows we were after her, and she wanted to remind us she knows who we are and that she would kill us if she got the chance.

Two: She thinks that I know who she is, or at least what she looked like, and that’s why she threatened you first.

You had to stifle a laugh. If she had done her research she would have known the struggle you went through to even enlist in the army, all those years ago. _A bitch is blind!!!_ _There was no way I could have seen her, even when I was chasing after her._

As you were connecting all the dots, you looked to you Captain for instructions. Surely, he would realize this is an empty threat, or trust your years of experience that you could protect yourself if a situation came up. So, when he spoke up, you were shocked at what he had decided.

“We have to put her on 24/7 security. We can give her a full detail while she’s at work. Send someone home with here for a night shift. I can talk to my squad and- “

“Hold up,” you cut him off, eyes darting between the three members in the room. “You know I can handle myself, right? I mean I know you guys haven’t worked with me for a long time, but my experience should speak for itself. I’m fully combat trained, I can shoot, _and_ I own a weapon! So, I don’t see why we need to do all this extra stuff.”

Commander Erwin stole a glance at the Captain. “We just want to be safe.”

Your cheeks burned. You felt embarrassed, like a child that someone was being forced to look after. “With all due respect, sir, I can handle myself just fine, please don’t make this any worse than it is.”  
  
His expression softened, and you saw Director Hange look down at her feet, swaying slightly as if she felt uncomfortable. You knew the final decision rested with your direct commander, so you tried to reason with the Captain.

“Look, I come to work at like seven in the morning, right? So, you’ll be able to keep track of me until I leave, which is around five usually. And then when I get home, I’ll just text Captain Ackerman every hour that I’m still alive! Does that sound fair?” You knew bargaining with your commanding officer was way out of line, but you hated feeling like you couldn’t stand on your own two feet. You watched him pinch the bridge of his nose with his fingers and let out a deep exhale.

“If you are so much as one minute late, I will come to your place and murder you myself. Are we clear?” His voice was stern, almost angry, and you couldn’t help but flinch. You nodded appreciatively, suddenly feeling very much like a burden. The Commander smiled broadly as you both came to an agreement.

“Very well. The matter is settled. Thank you for your cooperation, Reader. We all have your best interests at heart,” the Commander announced. Hange threw you a broad smile and began packing her numerous items. You waved as the Commander and the Director nodded at you and made their leave. You turned towards your Captain, feeling indignant, ready to give him a piece of your mind. You watched him walk around his desk and slump in his chair, passing a hand over his face. All your words died in your throat, and you awkwardly bent your head in his direction and turned to leave.

Pausing at the door, you turned to him and said, “She thinks I saw her. I didn’t, though. In case it comes up later.” You didn’t wait for him to respond and left.

~

It had been a rough couple of days, as you found yourself constantly feeling on edge while the team scrambled to find more leads after the discovery of Reiner Braun’s shambled apartment and death. Hange’s team had found nothing to go off of from the items they pulled, and Petra and Eld’s interrogations with Bertholdt were also a dead end. He seemed empty, after betraying his organization and losing his best friend, he became a shell of a person. The news of the parcel spread fast, and there were many rumors of the contents, which you were sworn to keep a secret. It didn’t help that Armin constantly pulled puppy dog eyes every time you walked into the room, wanting to be let in on the news.

You were exhausted, waking up hour after hour to send a text you never got a reply to, but you knew you had to follow your Captain’s orders. Coffee had become your best friend, and you found yourself napping in the bathroom stall more often than you’d like to admit. There was a point in the day where you actually found yourself typing the same sentence over and over again. Despite it all, the most frustrating thing was that you hadn’t seen much of Captain Ackerman the rest of the week. After putting on such a big ruckus about your personal safety and welfare, he didn’t check up on you or text you back once. It was bothering you more than you’d like to admit, but you knew he was busy and this case was hard enough.

That night you went home feeling like your head was being weighed down by a bag of bricks. It took everything in you not to fall asleep in the shower, and again while making dinner. In an attempt to keep yourself from lulling into deep sleep, you had decided to take rest on your couch instead of the perfectly comfortable bed in your room. Pouring yourself a glass of wine, you sat down and began watching whatever new show that had dropped on Netflix, double checking that your alarms were all set. Before you realized it, the sleep deprivation kicked in and your eyelids felt heavy. _Just until the alarm rings._

You woke up to sharp knocks on your front door that were becoming increasingly frantic. You checked your phone for the time and your heart dropped. It was a little past two in the morning, which meant you had slept through your alarms and you hadn’t checked in with the Captain for over two hours. The knocking became more incessant as you hauled yourself off the couch. Automatically, you grabbed your handgun from under your makeshift pillow, and thumbed the safety switch as you stepped closer to the door. _Even if it was the Captain here to kick my ass, wouldn’t he have just called? It could be the assassin, coming to make good on her threat!_

Tentatively, you peeked through your peephole and let out a shaky sigh of relief, it was the Captain after all. You opened the door and watched as he glared at you, his flinty eyes burning with fury. It took you a second to realize he was in plain clothes: a simple pair of dark jeans and a fitted black long sleeve. His boots squeaked slightly as he let himself into your apartment. You knew you were in for it when he rolled his sleeves up as you shut the door behind him.

“Sir, I am so, so sorry. I fell asleep and I meant to wake up. I mean I have a bunch of alarms but I guess I just slept through them and I-“

You tried to apologize but were cut off as the Captain turned around and walked towards you. He came very close, and you began walking backwards to maintain distance until you felt your back hit the door. He stopped, barely at arm’s length as he looked you up and down, making sure you were still in one piece. His eyes stopped at the sight of your handgun, still in your right hand, and then he was close…too close.

“What the fuck is this,” he said, grabbing the weapon out of your hand. You had never felt so small in your entire life. Keeping your eyes on the floor, you mumbled out an answer. Apparently, he didn’t hear it because the next thing you knew his free hand was grabbing your face, forcing you to look at him. “You really thought you could fight off a full-fledged assassin with this? I don’t know what kind of shitty training you went through in the army, but it doesn’t stand a chance against someone like her.”

His voice was getting harsher with every syllable until his frustration fully came through and he let go of your face and slammed his hand against your door. You were eye to eye now, his face so close you could feel his angry breaths stir the hair around your face. You gulped, all the sleepiness had jumped out of your system and was replaced by a surge of fear. He was angry, you knew that. You also knew he rarely lost control, so to see him like this and to know you were the cause, you couldn’t help but feel ashamed. But despite all that, a little part of you felt on fire, and for all the wrong reasons. Something was kindling inside you, and you couldn’t pinpoint what. All you knew was being this close to the Captain, his toned arm next to your body and his mouth breathing down your ear, it was too much.

You raised your eyes slightly to meet his again. You opened your mouth to apologize again, but the words died in your throat as the Captain drew himself back up. The sudden absence of his body heat from the proximity was not lost on you, and you found yourself holding back a frown. Instead, he raised your gun and brought it to your face.

You were shocked. “Sir, I really didn’t mean to miss check ins, okay? You don’t have to-“  
  
“Shut up,” he said, through gritted teeth. He leaned forward again, and brought the barrel of the handgun down to your lips. Your eyes flew open as you realized what he was about to do. You were staring at him, waiting for him to stop or step back, but his eyes were fixated on your mouth. You didn’t even realize you had opened it until you felt the cold, metallic taste of the barrel on your tongue.

It was such a bizarre feeling, having your own gun pressed into your mouth. The Captain was staring openly now, watching as you fought to speak around the intrusion and failed. Your face was flushed, and your mouth was starting to drool.  
  
“I gave you orders, Reader. Specific orders. And you couldn’t fucking follow them for one week,” he snarled. Captain Ackerman pushed the glock in further, watching in fascination as you took the metal weapon in deeper. This was something you had never experienced, and as your heart fluttered wildly, you couldn’t help but feel… _aroused_.

“If you were dead, it would be a huge headache for me, do you understand?” Captain Ackerman whispered. You nodded, whimpering slightly as your jaw started to ache and saliva started leaking out of the sides of your mouth. He came closer, hips nearly on yours. “It’s a lot of fucking paperwork, and I don’t want to do it.”

You couldn’t help it. The sultry, deep voice of an angry Captain Ackerman was doing something to you. His eyes were almost glowing, you realized, the grey irises were growing darker by the second. At the moment, all you wanted to do was oblige to every command he said, no matter what. Your heart was hammering so hard your chest was starting to ache. _Is it from fear, confusion, or something else?_ You let out a small whimper again as you tried to acknowledge the Captain’s words.

Suddenly, he stepped back, pulling your handgun out of your mouth. You leaned against the door, panting, trying to even out your breath as you watched him wipe the barrel on his shirt. You must have looked a mess – cheeks flushed bright red with teary eyes and a sopping mouth. Immediately you wiped your lips with the back of the hand and took a few more shuddering breaths.

“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again,” you said in small voice, staring down at your feet.

“Good,” he said, pressing your gun back into your trembling hands before grabbing your doorknob. You moved out of the way, not knowing what to say. Before you could do anything, he was out the door.

Shaking, you walked back to the couch. You had no intention of going back to sleep now. You tried to process what just happened, but all you could think about was him. So close you could smell his cologne like it was your own, that dark hair sweeping over his forehead, and those eyes boring into you like he could see right through you and find those dirty thoughts that you had pushed into the farthest corners of your mind. Thinking about the way he commanded that weapon, pushing it into your mouth, and you standing there, letting him. You realized, with rising horror, that if he had pushed you to your knees and asked you to do the same thing to something else, you would have complied. Rules be damned.

_Shit. I am in some deep shit now. Get it the fuck together, Aria._

_~_

The next morning you blearily stumbled off the couch, blinking your contact lenses into place. As if on autopilot, you got dressed and poured yourself a cup of coffee. As you sat on your breakfast table sipping on the hot liquid, you tried to piece together what had happened the night before.

It was clear to you that the Captain was stressed. Everyone was putting pressure on him to capture the female assassin before she gets to her next target, assuming she had one. If he was frustrated, then your deviation from his orders could have pushed him over the edge. Despite all that, you wondered where the motivation for him to come all the way over to your apartment came from. You never thought he would actually make good of his threats in his office, and at the end of the day, you were just another member on his team. After this mission, you will be stuck back in your office, untangling cables and ignoring other agents’ search histories, while he will get assigned to another case and continue working from the 37th floor.

It was a nice day today, you realized as you stepped out of your apartment building. Moving from America meant you had to get used the duller weather, and you found that the constant gray skies brought about a gloomy disposition. You often pondered on the possibility of moving to remote tropical island one day so that you would be content under the sun, without having to be tied down to any location or person. You were musing over the idea of living off the land in a coconut shell bikini when your taxi pulled up to your building. As you stepped inside the MI6 headquarters, your phone dinged with a text message from the Captain. **Meet me in my office when you get in.**

You gulped, terrified at the thought of getting berated in front of your colleagues. As if last night wasn’t enough, you wondered what he had in store for you this morning. Cautiously pressing the elevator button, you struggled to maintain a composed demeanor around the other occupants in the elevator.

You were the last one to get off, and after plowing through the crowd of agents trying to get to their first meetings of the day, you found yourself hesitating outside Captain Ackerman’s door. Tightening the grip of the bag on your shoulder, you knocked.

“Name and business,” you heard his tired voice come from the other side. “Agent Reader, sir. You called me in?”

The door opened for you, and you stepped in to find him holding it open. He looked rough, you could tell. While everything about his office and appearance were spotless, as usual, his eyes were drained, deep shadows making him look older than he was. This was taking a toll on him too, you realized.

He shut the door behind you and walked back to his desk, running a hand through his hair before taking a seat. You glimpsed his undercut, cleanly cut under the strands of inky black. You cleared your throat to apologize again, hoping to get the reprimands over with early so that you could get to work. Before you could say anything, he opened a desk drawer and pulled out something from it. As he placed the item on the desk, you saw that it was a box, a small square gift box that usually contained dainty items such as jewelry.

“This is for you,” he said, sliding the box towards you. You placed your bag on the floor before stepping forward and picking it up. You gave him a quick glance before sliding the lid off. As you looked at the contents inside, your breath caught in your throat.

“Didn’t take you as someone who gave out presents, sir. Does the whole team have matching ones or…?” you chuckled, trying to hide your utter surprise. Inside the box was a simple gold band, nothing fancy, but it was pretty. Jewelry had never been your thing, considering it wasn’t allowed in uniform, you never really dabbled in accessorizing. Only when you took it out of the box to get a better look at it did you realize what it was meant for. There was a chip inside and a small steel casing to cover what you assumed was a monitor of some sorts.

“This is a solution I found for our situation. It’ll track you at all times, that way I know where you are if you get grabbed,” Captain Ackerman said, watching you fiddle with the bracelet.

You laughed. “You know I can take this apart in like two seconds right? Plus what if I’m dead in a ditch somewhere! My location means shit if you don’t know whether I’m alive or not.”

“Very funny, Reader. It has a heart rate monitor, so if you’re out I will know,” he responded.

“Oh,” you pouted. “Where did you get this from anyway? I know for a fact this isn’t government issued, it’s way too pretty and creative for that.”

The Captain hesitated, focusing on the cup of tea he had made instead of looking at you directly. “I uh, I have some friends…in the Underground. One of them specializes in undercover gear. It’s not a big deal.”  
  
Your eyes flew open. _The Underground? That is some deep level mafia shit. What the hell is he doing getting involved with them?_ Clearly, he did not want to elaborate on that topic, so you tried to change the subject.

“Well, I hope this helps us get some sleep now. If I’m dead, I guess you’ll be the first to know!” you smiled brightly, struggling to clasp the bracelet over your wrist. He looked up at you for a split second, then turned his attention back to the cup and took a sip. You huffed before extending your arms out across the desk right in front of his face. The Captain looked at your hand that was holding the bracelet and the wrist waiting to be helped before sighing and pushing the cup of tea out of the way. You watched intently as he took the bracelet out of your hand and gently grabbed hold of your right wrist. His hands, so delicate and nimble, encompassed your arm easily and you shivered as the long fingers brushed your inner arm as he shut the clasp. He turned your arm around again, admiring his work, before letting go and immediately reaching back for his cup.

You stepped back, throat feeling suddenly very dry. You thanked him quietly as he pulled out some paperwork from the stack on his desk and busied himself with it. You took that as your cue to leave, as you had a meeting with Hange to go over the multiple mobile phones that were found in Reiner’s apartment. As you grabbed your bag and turned to leave, you heard him speak up behind you.

“Wait,” he said, setting his cup down gently. “The monitor is sensitive, so if you decide to get some physical training or something in then let me know.”  
  
You smiled and nodded, saying a quick bye as you slipped out the door. _Does this mean he’s worried about me? Or would potentially care if something did happen?_ You decided you didn’t want to find out the hard way, considering that would mean you would be in distress. _No thanks,_ you decided.

You realized, too late, that you hadn’t even brought up the incident from last night. Cheeks burning, you watched as the elevator doors closed in front of you, wondering if it had happened at all, or if he just decided that it was best if you pretended it didn’t. You were thankful to go to Hange’s office, where she talked so much that you didn’t have the mental capacity to try to process your feelings about Captain Ackerman. As Hange laid out your work for you, however, you couldn’t help but groan. It was supposed to be a good weather day, and now you were stuck inside tracking phone records. As you set up your laptop and work station, the sun from the window caught on your bracelet, and your face heated up as you saw a glimpse of the gold bracelet hanging on your wrist.

There was slight warmth spreading in your chest as you stared at the band, only to be jolted back to reality by Hange’s incessant chattering and her assistant Moblit hovering around her. You smiled as you watched them scurry around; maybe today was going to be a good day after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle in guys! Things are about to start rolling from here. As always, any feedback is appreciated!


	4. decoy

It took a few days to work around all the encryptions on the smartphones found in Reiner Braun’s apartment. With Armin’s help, you managed to trace a good couple of weeks’ worth of call logs, with a heavy number of them being with either Bertholdt or someone named Zeke Yeager. After pushing his name through the MI6 system, you found a little bit of information about him. He was a 29-year-old man, with little familial history to be found, save one half- brother named Eren. His employment history was clearly fake, and he had no criminal background that you were aware of. Either he was good at covering his tracks, or the organization he worked with clearly had someone on the inside who was able to clear his name for him. Eren Yeager, on the other hand, was just a 21-year-old young adult who didn’t seem to be aware of his older brother’s criminal involvement. He was a college student who was majoring in Media and Communications at the London Metropolitan University. His father was a doctor and his mother had passed away when he was fifteen.

You compiled the information on both Yeagers and headed upstairs, ready to deliver at the team’s debrief this morning. As you crossed the lobby to head to the elevators, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirrored walls. Your hair was clipped back as usual, the shorter strands falling around your face. Your olive pants and black knit sweater didn’t do much to show off your figure, paired with the black combat boots you had taken to wearing since your mishap with the loafers at the apartment scouting mission. Surprisingly, your face wasn’t as worn out today since you had been getting more sleep and your mascara only added to your bright-eyed appearance. Not that you minded, it felt good to look good. 

You marched your way into the conference room and took a seat. You were early, and you took a moment to relish the silence. After today, whatever the team decided to plan, you knew shit was about to go down. Absently twiddling your thumbs, you watched the sunlight dance through the leaves in the window outside. Your thumb caught on the band of your bracelet, still adorning your wrist, and you winced slightly to yourself. You had been avoiding the topic of Levi Ackerman for a while now, not wanting to think so wantonly about the man. You decided that you weren’t going to overthink anything, provided that he was your boss and that you would eventually be reassigned. You didn’t want your reputation to be stained, and you most certainly didn’t want to be clumped with other female agents who spent their work days giggling over him in the break room.

The door opened, breaking you from the thoughts you didn’t want to be thinking, and the Levi Squad walked in, laughing about something someone had said outside the door. You waved to them in greeting and Petra bounced over to the seat next to yours. She began talking to you about some new training regimen she had started and you couldn’t help the smile that came to your face. Petra was becoming something of a friend, and you were glad. You hoped that once the case was over, no matter how it ended, that the two of you would stay close. As you listened to Petra chatter on about the benefits of cross fit, the door opened again to reveal Commander Smith, followed by Captain Ackerman and Moblit. The three men found their respective seats and the noise in the room immediately subsided, waiting for the Captain to prepare the debrief.

Captain Ackerman stood up and regarded everyone in the room. “Thanks to Hange’s efforts, we were able to collect a few items of value from the apartment. We are now going to shift our focus from the female assassin to the man we believe is her handler.”

The screen flickered to life as a picture of Zeke Yeager was projected. The man looked built, with sandy blonde hair and thin circular glasses. You subconsciously brought a hand to your own and pushed them further up your face.

“Zeke Yeager is a man of mystery, but there is one way we can get to him. His half-brother, Eren,” he said. The screen shifted again to a young man with brilliant turquoise eyes and shaggy brown hair. He was smiling in the picture, talking to someone the camera couldn’t catch. “I believe that if we have the young Yeager, we can use him to draw out the handler, and in turn get information on the assassin and their organization.”

You blanched, this was something you hadn’t even considered when you discovered his existence. They were talking about kidnapping, holding Eren for ransom. You tried to catch Captain Ackerman’s eye to show your disapproval, but he was maintaining his focus on the computer in front of him. When no one spoke up, you decided to have your say.

“Are you saying you want to take him hostage? He’s an innocent man!” you started. Commander Smith calmly looked in your direction.

“In order to find the truth, Agent, sometimes we have to do things that seem more criminal than we are used to. It is the best course of action at this time. We just have to be equally aggressive to solve this case.”

You opened your mouth to argue, and then closed it, not wanting to seem insolent. Closing your hands into tight fists, you took a deep breath to quell the rising tide of anger in your chest.

“Sir, what happens if he doesn’t come for him? I mean, what if Zeke Yeager just didn’t care? Aren’t we crossing some kind of jurisdiction?”

It was Captain Ackerman who spoke up, hands on the edge of the table as he leaned forward, still not making eye contact with you. “It’s a matter of family,” he muttered. “Of course he will come.”

You were appalled, everyone seemed on board with this plan except for you. You felt indignant, but there was no choice. You sat back down and nervously adjusted your glasses again, burning holes into your laptop with defiant eyes.

“Eren Yeager is a college student, so we will have to find a way to get him without drawing attention. We will begin doing recon today, as soon as Agent Reader gets us his class schedule and place of residence. We need to get him by the end of the week. Are we clear?” Captain Ackerman looked at the team expectantly. All of you nodded and he began assigning schedules and vehicles to each group of agents.

Petra, Eld and Oluo were assigned to one vehicle. Captain Ackerman, Gunther, Moblit and yourself were in another. You quickly downloaded the information requested and sent it to everyone and after a few more updates, the team was ready to go.

Gunther drove you and Moblit while Eld drove Petra in a separate vehicle. The drive to the university was a quiet one, everyone was busy looking at the map of the school and brainstorming a plan. You watched Eren walk from one class building to another in the safety of the van, noting the easy way he was talking to his friends. He was tall, built like an athlete and walked confidently. After his last class was finished Gunther quietly pulled out of the parking lot and drove to his apartment. It was an unassuming brick building in the middle of many others just like it. He parked a little bit up the street so that you all had a good view while staying hidden. Eren had taken a bus to the stop down the street and he was walking nonchalantly with another tall classmate up the steps and into his building. According to your research, he lived on the fourth floor, so taking him from his place of residence was out of the question. You wracked your brain to find an easy way to handle this situation. It wasn’t like you could just walk into his Digital Culture class and drag him out by the ear. You would have make contact and try to get him alone. Someone as popular as he was would constantly be surrounded by friends, and that was proving to be an obstacle.

Fortunately, Petra seemed to be on the same page. That night, after recon, you all met again in the conference room. She sprung the idea of having someone planted in his classroom to find a way to get close. We would have to play the situation by ear and grasp on whatever opportunity you could. This wasn’t something you could easily agree to, it was always better going in with all the details ironed out, but it was the best chance you got. When it came to deciding who would be sent in undercover, all eyes immediately fell on you.

You jumped slightly, looking first at the Captain who was scowling as his grey eyes were pointed in your direction. Commander Erwin was nodding and the Special Agents were all making animated gestures of relief.

“Are you sure about this?” you asked, hoping someone would step up and volunteer for the role.

“You look like a college student, Reader, and I think it would be best for the youngest of us to be the trap,” Petra said brightly. You groaned, and threw up your hands in defeat. “Alright, alright. What’s the plan?”

~

The next day you found yourself standing outside the door of a lecture hall at London Metropolitan University. The morning had been a whirlwind of getting everyone’s comms up as well as preparing for the event that your cover would be blown. After a stern pep talk from the Commander, you climbed into the van with your group, followed by Petra and the rest in the other van. You certainly looked the part, as you were dressed in a pair of blue skinny jeans and an LMU crewneck you had bought the day before. Your hair was tied up in a ponytail and you had on a layer of soft makeup to make yourself fit in. Your sneakers squeaked against the waxed floor after months of sitting in the back of your closet. You checked your watch, making sure you were exactly six minutes late to the start of class. After one final successful radio check, you took a deep breath and opened the door.

You walked into the giant lecture hall and made your way up the stairs. The lights were off and the professor was lecturing via the projector screen and hadn’t noticed you enter. You walked up the stairs to the row behind Eren and his friends, just as you had planned. Quietly you took a seat behind him, and pulled out a notebook from your backpack. It felt weird, being stuffed into a seat like a normal student, considering you never had that experience, but you plowed on anyway. After a few more slides, the professor ended the lecture and turned the lights back on. You blinked, adjusting to the light and realized you were sitting one seat to the left behind Eren. _It’s okay, just stick to the plan._

The other agents were chatting away in your earpiece so you took a second to turn their volume down before reaching forward and tapping Eren’s shoulder. He turned around and smiled at you.

“Hi, I’m so sorry I came in late. Do you mind telling me what page we’re on in the book?” you asked, softening your voice and throwing him a shy smile. He blinked before letting out a hearty laugh.  
  
“Yeah sure, no problem. We’re starting chapter thirteen today,” he replied. Eren had a nice voice, you decided, eager and earnest and worst of all, innocent. You thanked him and watched him turn back around, nudging and whispering to his friend next to him.

The rest of the class went be quickly, you didn’t pay attention to anything the professor was saying, just jotting down random notes here and there. Your primary attention was on Eren, and trying to figure out how to get him alone. As the end of class came nearer, you began packing your things while keeping an eye on your target. As he rose to sling his bag over his shoulder, you slowly zipped your own. He followed his friend down the row of chairs, and you followed suit, keeping a close distance. At the last minute, you darted your way through the students in front of you until you were right behind him.

As you both neared the end of the staircase, you tripped, causing you to crash against Eren and almost fall down. In a heartbeat, he had turned around and placed his hands on your shoulders, steadying you. You looked up, blushing as he examined you to make sure you weren’t hurt. You let out a nervous chuckle as you both straightened up and moved out of the way of the oncoming students.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his brilliant eyes looking at you with concern.

“Yes, oh my god, I am so sorry,” you said, giggling slightly. “I’m just a little clumsy.”

He let out a small laugh as he led you out into the hall, his arm over your shoulders protectively. You felt the guilt beginning to stir in your stomach but you took a deep breath and pushed the feeling away.

Once you were both in the hall, you took a moment to adjust your hair and backpack before looking up at him. Eren was checking you out, and you knew it, so of course you had to put on a show. He put his hands in his pockets and said, “How come I’ve never seen you around before?”

You froze, despite knowing this question was going to come up. “I usually sit in the back. I guess you just never bothered to turn around and look,” you quipped, giving him a playful shove. He smirked and pulled something out of his pocket.

“Listen, my football team is having a party on Friday night. You should come…” he trailed off, not knowing your name.

“Aria,” you said clearly, giving him another flirty smile. “My name is Aria. And you are?”

“I’m Eren. Just tell the guys at the door that you’re with me,” he said, looking at you up and down again. “You can bring a friend, too, if you want.”

He handed you a slip of paper that had an address and some names you obviously didn’t recognize. After pocketing the flyer, you gave him a coy response before turning on your heel and walking away, muttering curses at your still squeaky shoes.

Once you got enough distance, you turned the volume of your earpiece back up. You heard Gunther and Eld wolf-whistling while Petra was praising you for your brilliant performance.

“Shut up guys,” you muttered as you walked back to the van.

Once you slid into the passenger seat, you looked up to see Captain Ackerman in the driver’s seat. He had his usual frown, and you could feel disapproval rolling off of him in waves.

“What, did I do something wrong?” you asked innocently as you set your backpack down at your feet. The Captain gave a slight “Tch” and turned the key in the ignition. As he backed out, Gunther came up behind you and gave you a slap on the shoulder.

“Damn girl, didn’t think you had it in you, eh?” he joked. You put your head in your hands, suddenly feeling very shy.

“The real show is gonna be on Friday, when she has to meet him at the party,” Moblit spoke up. “That’s gonna be our chance, right sir?”

All eyes went on the Captain, who was focusing on the road. “It’s a packed location. If we scout ahead and find a good route, maybe we can use the crowd to our advantage,” he muttered. He glanced at you quickly. “If she plays her cards right, we can get him alone and get the job done.”

You sank further into your seat, wondering how deep into this act you would have to get into. The more you thought about it, the more queasy you felt, taking advantage of a young man who was clearly innocent. You found yourself wishing that this case would end soon, so that you could put all of this behind you.

~

The team had spent the last two days scouting the football team’s house for possible escape routes. Gunther and Oluo had posed as plumbers who were called by the landlord, and the residents let them in, not wanting to be drawn away from whatever it was college students did in their free time. They found that the first-floor bathroom had a window that could easily be opened from the inside and that it let to the side yard and out onto the street. It was covered by lots of shrubs and trees, so the path was virtually invisible to anyone inside or outside the house. Meanwhile, you kept your cover by going to class with Eren and catching his eyes from the back of the classroom, now that he actually bothered to look.

Finally, it was Friday night and you found yourself in front of your mirror in your apartment, looking at someone you did not recognize. In order to fit in, you and Petra had to give yourselves a complete makeover. You were dressed in a tight black dress with thin straps. You wore your comfiest pair of black boots and had thrown a black denim jacket over top. Petra had forced you to keep your hair down, and you had decided to do a heavier makeup look than you were used to. It was fun, you decided, getting dolled up like this again, and your heart ached for Sasha and your friends in America. Going out to bars and flirting with random guys was something the two of you did together in D.C and you hadn’t let loose like that in a long time. You gave yourself a once over in the mirror, and besides the false eyelashes causing your eyes to water a bit, you decided that you looked good.

Petra walked into your bedroom, throwing herself on your bed. She had chosen to wear some black denim and a white tank top with a comfortable bomber jacket to keep herself warm. You had both giggled when you realized that the two of you were wearing the same boots for the night, and you couldn’t help but feel a little excited for what was to come.

After donning your mics and doing some last-minute touch ups, the two of you made your way outside, where the rest of the Levi Squad and Levi himself were waiting. When you walked out the lobby door, you suddenly felt very self-conscious, realizing that the Captain was watching you through his half-lidded eyes. This was the most exposed you’d ever been around anyone here and you couldn’t help but secretly hope that he was enjoying the show.

Everyone piled into their respective vehicles and then it was time to go. Your heart was hammering the entire drive there, and your throat suddenly felt very dry. This whole operation was way out of your comfort zone; going undercover was something you never fathomed you would have to do.

They dropped the two of you off two blocks away from the house. Before getting out of the van, Captain Ackerman cleared his throat. You looked at him through the rearview mirror, wondering what he had to say.

“Relax, Reader. Your heart rate is through the roof. Just get the job done,” he muttered, his eyes not meeting yours. You nodded, hoping he didn’t see the pink tint that dusted your cheeks as you hopped out of the van. Once Petra joined you, they sped off to get into position. You smoothed your dress and together you walked towards the house.

It wasn’t hard to miss, with the music blasting through the windows and red plastic cups littering the lawn, you found the house easily. Throwing your hair over your shoulder, you walked up the steps with Petra and flashed the boys at the door a big smile. They were probably freshmen, you assumed, tasked to “guard” the door while the older teammates had all the fun. You did not pity them.

“Hi guys,” you said. “I’m looking for Eren?”

They looked at Petra, then at you before nodding and pulling out their phones. A few moments after sending a quick text, they opened the door and Eren stepped outside. He was casually dressed in some blue demin jeans and a white v-neck and sneakers. You hoped he was comfortable as you knew this was the only outfit he was going to be wearing for a while. He casually looked up and down your body and smirked.

“Hey Eren!” you said, grabbing Petra’s hand. “This is my friend Petra, I hope you don’t mind that I brought her.”  
  
“No problem, Aria,” he said. “Come on in, girls.”

He nodded in the freshmen boys’ direction before opening the door and pulling you in. You immediately wrinkled your nose in disgust, sharing a look with Petra while following Eren. The house was packed with bodies and the putrid odor of beer and sweat assaulted your senses. You watched girls dressed in outfits similar to yours sip on their cups and dance with each other as the boys were playing cup pong. Eren had grabbed your hand and was hauling you towards what you knew was the kitchen.

Once inside, he handed you and Petra a cup full of something you definitely did not want to drink. He refilled his own cup and took a large swig. You watched him swallow it down before raising the glass to your own lips and taking a tentative sip. It was an awful mix of hard liquor, soda and some type of fruit juice.

“Delicious, isn’t it?” he joked. You and Petra let out a small laugh as you set the cup down. The music changed to an American pop song you hadn’t heard in a while and you felt the beat take over you. You looked at Eren and took his hand before pulling him towards the main room where people were dancing. Petra took the hint and made an excuse to leave. While you captured Eren’s attention, she was going to get the escape route ready.

You found yourself surrounded by sweaty people and wanted nothing more than to run home and take a very long shower, but as you felt Eren’s presence behind you, there was no choice but to push that thought down and focus on the task at hand. Your only job was to distract him until the team was in position, then get him to the assigned bathroom and get him out. You went over each step in your head over and over again while letting your hips move to the rhythm of the song.

You felt his body press against your back, slowly dancing with you. Your heart hammered in your chest, every nerve in your body telling you that this was wrong, but you knew you had to ignore it push forward to buy time. You pushed your hips back into his, moving against him as gracefully as possible. You felt him lean forward and whisper something in your ear, his breath tickling your bare neck.

“I have to admit, I never thought you could dance like this, Aria,” he mumbled. You swallowed audibly, and heard an exasperated groan come through your earpiece. It was the Captain. _Fuck, he can hear this, he can hear all of this!_ Something in you snapped, suddenly all you wanted was to make him squirm, so you let out a little giggle and turned around, placing your hands behind Eren’s neck. As you swayed your hips again, he let out a breathy laugh. You knew in that moment that you had caught him, hook line and sinker. Now all you needed to do was wait for the signal.

The next twenty minutes went agonizingly slow for you, between drinking what Eren called “jungle juice” and having to dance around and mingle with a bunch of drunk college kids. You were almost at your wit’s end until you heard two voices almost simultaneously.  
  
“ _Fuck_ ….” Eren groaned in your ear, no doubt drunk and wanting after the show you’d been putting on. Not even a beat later, you heard the Captain’s irked voice come through on your earpiece. “We’re ready, Agent.”

It was go time. You reached up on your tip-toes and cupped your hand around Eren’s ear. “Hey, do you wanna go somewhere private?” you whispered. Without waiting for an answer, you grabbed his hand and pushed your way to the bathroom. Tipsy and probably horny, he followed you without any restraint. As you walked into the hallway, you saw Petra leaning up against the wall chatting with Eld, who was disguised as well.

Opening the door, you dragged him in and pushed him against the bathroom counter. Eren leaned forward, eyes closing and lips puckered, and you stepped back, watching as Petra and Eld walked in behind you and locked the door. Eren straightened up and looked at the three of you, confused.

“Hey man, I’m in the middle of something here,” he said to Eld, swaying slightly. Eld rolled his eyes and grabbed his arms. Petra stepped forward and pressed a cloth to his face, causing Eren to pass out. You shivered as you saw him slump forward into Eld’s arms.

You kicked open the window and jumped out, checking if any drunk partygoers had accidentally managed to stumble outside. No one was in sight, so you moved out of the way to let the Special Agents carefully haul Eren out and then the three of you broke into a run towards the parked vans. Pushing through the thicket, you saw them parked on the side, and Captain Ackerman standing next to the vans, arms crossed.

Gunther helped Eld push Eren into the backseat, and then everyone clamored inside as fast as possible. You had barely caught your breath when Moblit stepped on the gas and started driving back to headquarters. You stared at your lap the entire ride, mortified. You felt gross, inside and out and you pressed your hands under your thighs to keep them from trembling. Even though you were looking down, you could feel the Captain’s gaze boring into you from the backseat. However, you didn’t want to think about him, honestly you didn’t want to think about anything. What you had done tonight was by far the worst thing you had ever been tasked to do and the guilt was overtaking you.

“Take her home,” you heard Captain Ackerman say softly. “She doesn’t need to be there when we take him in.”  
  
You didn’t say anything, but you were grateful. The last thing you wanted to see was what they were going to do to him once they got back to headquarters. As Moblit pulled up to your apartment complex, you silently stepped out of the van, making eye contact with your Captain one more time before gently closing the door and scurrying inside.

After locking your doors, you stripped off your dress and kicked off your boots, hauling yourself into your shower. You furiously scrubbed your face and body clean, and rinsed the shampoo out of your hair. After completing your shower, you stepped into the steamy bathroom feeling like a plucked chicken. Your skin and face were red from being rubbed raw so you took the time to moisturize your body in an attempt to repent for that. After throwing on an old t-shirt and pajama shorts, you settled in bed and attempted to calm your mind. Despite feeling physically clean, you couldn’t help but still feel perturbed. You padded over to your kitchen and poured yourself a glass of wine, hoping that it would lull your brain.

A few glasses and some Netflix episodes later, you put your laptop and wine glass on your nightstand and turned off your lights. As you lay in the darkness, feeling the buzz from the alcohol run through your nerves, your mind drifted off.

You remembered suddenly the feeling of dancing in that sweaty house, having someone pressed up against you, the feeling of warm air skimming your collarbones. You thought about Levi, your Captain, entrapping you with his steel smolder, pushing your gun into your mouth. Subconsciously, your hand found its way into your shorts, and as you focused on Levi staring into your soul, you sought release as your fingers found your sensitive spot between your legs. It was the simple memory of Levi gently holding your wrist as he clasped the bracelet that did it for you, and you found yourself in bliss.

Moments after, you lay on your sheets, heart thudding loudly in your ears, your cheeks burning up, you felt equal parts ashamed and satiated. Your body relaxed, every single one of your nerves on fire and you relished it. Slowly, you found yourself lulled to sleep and you let your eyes close.

Not even five minutes had passed when your phone began to ring loudly. In a panic, you rolled out of bed to answer it. You lifted the phone to your ear while your hands felt around for your glasses.

“Hello?” you asked warily, wondering who the hell would be bothering you so late at night. At last, you found the thin frames and placed them on your face as the caller responded.

“Open your door,” Captain Ackerman said in a low voice. You scrambled to your door, hoping he wasn’t about to drag you back to work. He hung up and you had a minor breakdown as you assessed yourself in your pajamas and bedhead, the subtle glow of your previous shenanigans still twinkling on your face. _Fuck, fuck, fuck…._

You opened the door cautiously, watching him walk inside your apartment for the second time. He had changed out of his work clothes, opting for a pair of black joggers and a grey henley shirt. His hair was damp, as if he had just gotten out of the shower. He looked around your living room, as if something had potentially changed the last time he was in there, and then turned to face you as you closed the door. You gulped, remembering the last time you were in a situation like this. Hoping to avoid another confrontation, you walked into your kitchen, asking if wanted anything to drink, well aware of his eyes on your mismatched pajama set and exposed legs. He followed, hands in his pockets, but denied your offer.

“Do you need something, sir?” you asked meekly. It was late, you were exhausted, and frankly embarrassed that you had just done unspeakable things while thinking about the man standing in front of you.

“Your monitor spiked. I thought you were having a heart attack,” he responded coolly, while skimming your countertop with his fingers. “Or worse, she attacked you in your own home.”

In that moment, you wished you could melt away into a puddle. This had to be some kind of cosmic joke, you decided. You gave a shy laugh, and tucked your hair behind your ear, glaring at the floor.

“No, nothing of the sort, sir. I’m alive and well, as you can see,” you choked out. He looked at you, and you could swear there was a slight smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth.

“Oh? What were you doing then? Didn’t seem like you were keen on working out after tonight,” he sneered. _He knew._ There was no way he didn’t know. Maybe not _all_ the details, but there was no way he hadn’t put two and two together.

“I uh…was watching a scary movie, that’s all!” you said, mortified. Your hands were twisting knots in your t-shirt and you refused to look at him while he interrogated you. You saw him step closer and place his hand on the counter next to you. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, your chest tightening as you looked at him. His luminous eyes were mere inches away from yours and it took everything in you not to reach out and run your hands in his hair. 

“A scary movie, huh,” he muttered, eyes boring into you, coaxing out the truth. His voice dropped an octave as he placed his mouth next to your ear. “Here I was so worried, and you were just tucked away in bed having fun, hm?”

You were shaking at this point, unsure what your Captain was planning on doing next. You willed yourself to stay still and keep your mouth shut, despite the twinge in your lower abdomen and flush that was creeping on your neck. As the Captain drew his lips closer to you, you closed your eyes and dug your fingernails into your palms. Before you could even think, he placed a hand under your jaw, thumb skimming over your lips before placing his mouth on your own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger!!! And poor Eren getting dragged into this mess, he just wanted to get some.  
> PS, I am playing around with everyone's ages to fit my narrative, hope that's okay. As always, any and all feedback is welcome!


	5. exchange

As the Captain’s lips moved slowly against yours, you felt yourself melt into him. Your hand snaked itself behind his neck and in his hair, finally having the pleasure of feeling those silky, dark strands run through your fingers. The more you let yourself enjoy the kiss, the more responsive you became and you found yourself pulling him closer until you were trapped between him and the countertop. The Captain wrenched his hands from the granite surface behind you and tentatively placed them on your waist, pushing your hips together. Your body was on fire, and as he pulled away from your lips and began kissing your neck, you couldn’t help but throw your head back and let out a soft moan. Almost immediately, he grabbed your waist and pushed you on top of the counter, settling himself between your legs as you wrapped them around his back. You dropped your hands down to his shoulders to keep yourself steady as he continued exploring your neck and collarbone. Your heart was pounding, and you willed yourself to keep your hands steady as he moved back to your lips, a slight smirk on his own before he kissed you again.

He moved his hands off your waist and began exploring the tops of your exposed thighs with his fingertips, causing you to shiver as he caressed your skin. His hands travelled up and over your shorts before slipping under your t-shirt. It was luxurious, the way they were slowly exploring your body until the sensations overwhelmed you and you subconsciously pushed yourself away from him. Captain Ackerman’s gaze never left yours as you both stared at each other, panting.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. If he was hesitant or nervous, you wouldn’t have known; his voice was the same husky timbre you were used to. You bit your lip and glanced at your intertwined bodies while you struggled to even your tone before responding.

“Nothing, I-,” you took a deep breath and looked at him. “I’m just really tired and….”

He stepped back almost immediately, giving you his hand to help you hop off the counter. “I apologize if I overstepped any boundaries. You should get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow, Reader.”

He walked towards the door and you followed timidly, trying to figure out what to say next. Your mind was completely blank as you watched him put his shoes on and open the door. Without thinking, you grabbed his arm and pressed a simple kiss on his lips before stepping back. You gave him a weak smile, as he blinked at you in confusion before looking down at your hand and passing his thumb over your wrist, pausing at the bracelet he had given you. After a few moments, he dropped your hand and left without looking back.

In a daze, you stumbled back into your bed and squealed into your pillow. _He kissed me! He fucking kissed me!_ You still felt the ghost of his fingertips and mouth lingering all over your body as you fell asleep, smiling slightly.

The next morning you couldn’t be any less motivated to get out of bed. Sure, last night had been amazing, but having to face your boss in the morning was not something you were prepared for. Especially now that you knew how soft his lips were, or that he knew how sensitive you were to his touch. You dove under your covers, hoping for a miracle that would allow you stay in your nest for the day. Unfortunately for you, duty called, literally. You rolled out of bed as your phone started to ring.

“Hello?” you answered sleepily, placing your glasses on your face. It was still early, barely past 7 in the morning.

“Aria! Good morning!” Hange’s enthusiastic voice rang through your device. “Think you can come in early today?”

Suddenly, you had a gut feeling that something was wrong, or something was about to be wrong. You pushed those thoughts out of your head and told Hange you would be in as soon as possible. After hanging up the phone, you hurried to get dressed and prep your face. Tugging on a navy blue sweater and some grey trousers, you hopped around trying to find a matching pair of socks before ditching the effort entirely and opting for your trusty loafers. After combing your hair and tying it back in a ponytail, you looked in the mirror and were appalled. Scattered across your neck were several purple splotches, evidence of your antics with Captain Ackerman last night. Groaning, you added a thermal turtleneck under your sweater and scurried out the door.

Once you stepped inside the building, you knew there was mayhem upstairs. Anticipation building, you stood in the elevator with your stomach in knots. You briefly thought about Eren, lonely and probably confused in a cell somewhere. You made a mental note to ask about him when you got the chance. As soon as the elevator doors opened you walked over to Hange’s office, a large open space with plenty of monitors and room to work. Moblit caught your eye through the window as you hurried over and he opened the door for you. As expected, everyone was looking grim.

Commander Smith had his arms crossed and bushy brows furrowed as he read something on his tablet. Captain Ackerman was standing off to the side, on the phone with someone, but you could sense he was not pleased with whoever he was talking to. Hange was not in the room, but Moblit was printing something and arranging files for her return. You cleared your throat, hoping to get some information. Captain Ackerman turned around, looking at you briefly and trailing off mid-sentence, only to return to his conversation as the Commander approached you.

“Good morning, Agent Reader. Thanks for coming up here on such a short notice. Unfortunately, it seems that late last night our assassin has taken another victim,” he said. He passed his tablet over to you and you skimmed through the briefing. The victim was a member of Parliament, and you wracked your brain to remember what little you knew about England’s government body. He was an older man who had served in the House of Lords by the name of Dimo Reaves. Your nose crinkled at the sight of the dead man, foam crusted around his mouth and his short, overweight body sprawled out in an ugly fashion. You handed the tablet back to the Commander and asked him what they were expected to do next.

“While I was never particularly fond of Reaves, his death is quite suspicious and timely. His replacement has already been nominated, someone young, I believe and from a powerful family with old money,” he mused. You made a mental note to do some research on the nominee when you had the time. “In the meanwhile, Levi and I will go onsite and meet Hange. She says she suspects foul play, most likely poisoning just like the previous victim. I am also hoping for a message from Mr. Yeager. I will have Levi keep you updated as needed.”

He left the room and Captain Ackerman followed him a few moments later, still scowling into the phone. As he walked by you, you shared a brief moment of eye contact before he stepped out the door. Fiddling with your work bag, you asked Moblit if he needed any help, anything to keep the inappropriate thoughts about Captain Ackerman out of your mind. Unfortunately for you, he shook his head and told you he was just setting up for his boss to come back.

You decided to take the time to visit Eren, since you didn’t have any assignments until the team got back and Moblit had mentioned they were keeping him underground. After dropping off your belongings in your office, you made your way down to the basement where he was being held. Stepping out of the elevator, you let the security guards and military police examine you before scanning your badge and walking through the door. To your relief, the basement was not at all like the prison cells you had imagined, but more like a dormitory. _It’s not like he’s a criminal, so they’re not gonna treat him like one._ You meandered through the halls until you found Eren’s assigned room. After a brief scan from the stationed MP, you were allowed inside. To your surprise, Eren was not alone in his little room. Armin was seated on his bed and they were playing some kind of board game.

“Armin?” you asked, startling the boys. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Armin and Eren both turned to look at you, their eyebrows raised. “I could ask you the same question, _Aria_. Or is that even your real name?” Eren asked scathingly. You blinked, unsure how to settle the sudden tension in the room. Armin seemed to sense your discomfort and laughed.

“Relax, relax. He’s just kidding. I already explained what I could. Although there are a few gaps, so I was hoping you could fill them in for me later,” he said. It took you a second to realize that Armin had come down here on his own accord, which would make sense considering they were around the same age and Eren could find solace in his isolation. _Fast friends,_ you mused, further deepening your distaste towards Armin. _Why are you so damn likeable?!_

Tentatively, you sat in Eren’s chair, crossing your legs after smoothening your slacks. You remembered that the last time you were with Eren, you were practically half naked and grinding on him. Clearing your throat, you decided to go the safe route and asked them about their game. Armin and Eren both shared a glance and tried to explain that it was supposed to be chess but a bunch of pieces were missing. Eren let out a laugh and told you he didn’t even know how to play, he was just copying Armin the best he could. _Of course Armin would be good at chess, that damn genius._

“Listen Eren…I really am sorry about all this. I was just following orders and-,” you started to apologize before Eren cut you off.

“It’s okay, really. I didn’t know what Zeke was involved in. To tell you the truth, I barely know the guy. My dad rarely talks about him and he comes over for dinner like twice a year, but he’s family I guess. And besides, your bossman told the school that I had a family emergency and I got out of doing homework for the next couple of weeks,” he said, grinning. “He’s scary, by the way. He told me if I caused any trouble he’d kick my teeth out.”  
  
Eren’s eyes grew wide as he remembered the Captain’s warning and you couldn’t help but let out a little giggle. You let yourself relax, and took a moment to examine Eren’s room. They had set him up with a twin bed and a desk that came with the chair you were sitting on. There was a dresser and a small mirror and that was it. You frowned; this was no way as bad as prison but it was definitely not to your liking.

“Do you need anything? I mean I don’t know what they’ll allow me to get for you, but like any essentials I can take care of?” you asked, a hint of pity in your voice.

“Nah, Armin’s got me covered. He said he’ll bring me some fresh clothes and stuff. They have some books and stuff for me, but they took my phone which sucks. My friends are probably wondering where I am. They probably think I’m passed out somewhere from last night’s party,” Eren said while staring at the chess board. He picked up a piece and moved it before frowning and putting it back. “I really don’t know what I’m doing.”

Armin chuckled and made a move. “You know, if your friends are concerned I can take care of that for you. Your dad, too,” he murmured. Eren just shook his head. “My dad works long hours, so we don’t talk much. He’s a doctor, you know.”

You smiled sweetly and nodded. “Yes Eren, I do know.”

He looked at you dumbstruck before realized what organization you worked for. “Duh, secret agent Aria knows everything,” he said.

The three of you laughed. You felt a twinge of sympathy for Eren, hoping that he would come out of this situation alright, no matter how it ended. After a half an hour of watching them suck at chess and even trying your own hand for a bit, you decided to take your leave and go back upstairs to do some research. You bid Eren and Armin goodbye and walked back to your office, taking the stairs to allow yourself some time to think.

As you clambered up the flights of stairs you tried to understand the bigger picture. If Zeke Yeager found out about his half-brother’s kidnapping, perhaps he ordered the assassin to take a target as a message, to show that he was still in charge? Or it could be a way to get in contact with us. Either way, the timing was definitely suspect. Furthermore, there was the matter of the rushed nomination for the victim’s seat and the weight of the family behind the name. If they had money, what purpose would a seat in government fulfill?

Your musings led you all the way back up to the lobby and you decided that that was enough cardio for the day and headed into the elevator to go back to your office. Scrolling through your phone, you saw you had a text from Sasha, back in America, who was asking about the news. She was worried for you, and wanted to make sure you were okay. Smiling to yourself, and probably looking stupid in front of the other occupants in the elevator, you messaged her back saying everything was fine and that your team was working on it.

Back in Hange’s office, Moblit was busy putting together a slide deck of all the photos from the crime scene. You settled in one of Hange’s many desks and logged in on a computer, determined to have some information ready when everyone came back. First you looked up Wesley Tybur, the man slated to take the now open seat. He was young, only 26 years old with an undergraduate degree from Oxford and a masters from Cambridge. No doubt he bought his way into both schools, considering his family had wealth from decades ago. Their investments were mostly in oil and energy companies with a few assets overseas as well.

You were just about to dig into Wesley’s father, Willy Tybur, when the door opened and Hange walked in, followed by your Captain and Special Agents Gunther and Oluo. Both agents were carrying evidence boxes and looked exhausted. You didn’t blame them, between getting Eren settled and finding out about the murder, there probably had not been much time to rest. Even you were beginning to feel the effects of a mid-morning slump, but the case had to come first.

Moblit scurried to help Hange with her things as everyone settled in the office, waiting for direction. You opened your mouth to speak, but Gunther shook his head vehemently behind Captain Ackerman, so you pursed your lips and sat back down. _Something bad must have happened._ You wondered what else could have occurred as Commander Erwin walked in, followed by a tall bald man you had never seen.

“All rise,” Captain Ackerman called out, and everyone jumped to their feet standing at attention. You were bewildered, obviously this man was of high rank, but you couldn’t place either his face or name.

“Relax, agents,” the bald man said through his thick grey moustache. Everyone settled back down, but you could feel them on edge. As Commander Smith started conversing with Director Hange, the man noticed you and began to walk in your direction. You gulped, not knowing how to introduce yourself as you didn’t even know this man’s rank.

“Hello there, Agent. I don’t believe we’ve met. I am Chief Pixis, head of the Special Operations Task Force. And you are?” he said in a gruff voice, extending his hand out to you. You took it, standing up straight and shaking it gently.

“Agent Aria Reader, sir. I am the technical analyst for this case,” you responded. “Normally I just work in IT, sir.”

You bit your lip to keep yourself from babbling, something you often did when you were nervous, and boy were you nervous as hell. Everyone’s eyes were on you, watching to see your interaction with the Chief, even Captain Ackerman. You dropped your hand and put it behind your back, hoping you made a good first impression.

“IT, huh? It’s all about the network in IT. I did my fair share in the communications division, but that was a long time ago, back when radios had to be calibrated by hand,” he said thoughtfully. You smiled. “Don’t worry sir, must not have been that long ago since the Americans are still doing it like that.”  
  
He let out a hearty laugh at that and you cheered internally. “I like this one, Erwin,” he said before walking away from you. Everyone then took a seat as Moblit dimmed the lights and Chief Pixis addressed the room.

  
“Good morning, all. It has come to my attention that team has been working diligently on this high-profile assassin case. Erwin here has been keeping me updated, and I applaud you all for your efforts, no matter how drastic,” he began. _He must be talking about the fact that we kidnapped Eren,_ you thought.

“Now that this is a matter of national security, we must tread carefully. We don’t know if the threat is from within Britain or not. However, we do have another lead,” he explained. Hange scrambled to the front of the room, holding something small in her hand, just as the projection behind her changed. It was a note, and you squinted to read the contents.

“This was found in the victim’s pocket, along with this phone,” she said, holding it up for everyone to see. It was a flip phone, probably a burner, as way to contact us directly, hopefully to negotiate for Eren’s release. “The note warns us that only the Commander is allowed to communicate with them, for whatever reason and that they want proof that Eren is unharmed.”

You frowned. _What do they think we are, barbarians? At least we’re not running around killing people!_ Examining the writing on the note, you could tell it was written in haste, which further pushed your theory that Eren Yeager’s kidnapping had been the catalyst for last night’s murder. Turning your attention back to Hange, you watched as she handed the phone over to the Commander. He hesitantly pressed a button and put the phone on speaker. Everyone waited with bated breath as they listen to the phone ring. After two rings, someone finally answered.

“State your name,” a rough, deep voice answered. Everyone looked at the Commander as he licked his lips and responded.

“Commander Erwin Smith. Who am I speaking to?” he said coolly.

“Zeke. I am Zeke Yeager. Show me the boy,” he insisted.

“Allow me to do you one better. We can arrange a meeting and discuss our terms for his release. Today, if you’d like,” Commander Erwin explained. You were in awe at how he was able to maintain his composure.

“Kyoto Gardens, 1 pm. Come unarmed or you will regret it,” he muttered before hanging up. All eyes rested on the Chief, waiting to see what he thought of the agreement.

“Erwin, you and Levi will go meet Mr. Yeager. I will have Hange and your squad on standby. Meanwhile, Agent Reader will be with the young Yeager downstairs. When he asks, call her and he can get his proof of life. She will be your proxy. If anything goes south, we will not harm him, but I do not believe it will be an issue,” Chief Pixis explained. “Erwin, it is imperative that we are able to get something out of this, otherwise it will all have been for naught, and I am not sure how to explain to the Director that we kidnapped a civilian and gained nothing. Are we all clear?”

Hange and Commander Smith nodded as everyone stood up, ready to get geared up for the mission. You set off in search of equipment for everyone and wound up back in Hange’s office after about thirty minutes. You could sense her excitement as you mic-ed her up, which gave you goosebumps. Sometimes, she gets so into something that her tunnel vision becomes overwhelming, and this case was starting to consume her, you could tell. Commander Smith was stoic as you fussed around his gear, talking on the phone with someone presumably important. Finally, it was time to get Captain Ackerman set up.

As you walked over to the desk he was standing at, assembling his gear methodically, your heart started to race. After all the hubbub of this morning, you hadn’t actually managed to get a moment alone with him. Nervously, you stepped in front of him and held up his equipment in your hands. He looked up at you for a moment and set his things down on the desk.

“Reader, I have some things in my office that I need to secure before I put the communication technology on. Will you assist me in that first?” he asked curtly. You nodded automatically, following him out the door in a heartbeat. Nobody else in the room seemed to notice, they were all busy in their personal preparations.

You marched behind Captain Ackerman, clutching the wires to your chest. As he opened the door for you, you walked in, allowing him to close it behind you and then, in a turn of events, locking it.

Without warning, he strode over to you standing in the middle of the room, grabbed the sides of your face and promptly planted a kiss on your lips. You stepped back, shocked.

“Finally,” he sighed. “I’ve been wanting to do that all morning.”

You gaped at him. “Sir, I-I mean wow, I just?” you sputtered out. He ran his hand through is hair, raking them back before letting go. You watched in awe as they framed his face perfectly again. “Sir, if you have equipment you need help with, we have to do it fast. Your meeting is in less than two hours, and we still need to coordinate vantage points and I need a briefing on how to be a proxy and- “

You stopped to take a breath as you realized you were rambling. Captain Ackerman had lazily stridden over to his little tea station and was brewing himself a cup, completely impervious to your rant. Frustrated, you dumped your stuff on his desk and sauntered up to him. Grabbing his wrist, you dragged him to his chair and pushed him in the seat. He looked up at you in confusion, but didn’t say anything. You smirked. _Two can play this game, Captain._

Gingerly taking the mug out of his hands, you placed it on the desk before leaning forward and kissing him. Immediately he was responsive, placing one hand on your cheek and another on your hip. You grinned against his lips as you swatted them away. Feeling bold, you decided to move further past his jawline and onto his collarbone. Your hand was resting against his chest to steady yourself, but you found yourself wanting to explore. As you continued kissing what seemed to be a sensitive spot, you let your fingers trail down his abdomen and slip under his shirt. Almost instinctively, he gasped and you felt a gush of pride and exhilaration course through you.

You splayed your fingers over his muscles, the ones you were ogling over the first time you were in this office. Your touch seemed to ignite something in him, and he strained to meet your lips again but you stepped back. Through his half-lidded eyes, he gazed at you as you went down on your knees in front of him. You undid his belt and zipper, palming him through his trousers.

“Do you want this, Captain?” you whispered. Seemingly at a loss for words, he swallowed and nodded, not taking his eyes off yours. He watched then, as you took him in your mouth, how you slowly teased him, running your tongue up and down before taking control. His hands found his way into your hair, grabbing your ponytail and yanking it in pleasure. It was unreal, how quickly you brought him to release, his grunts and moans like a symphony to your ears. He let out a string of unintelligible curse words as he finished and you swallowed, observing him bask in the aftermath. You were enraptured by the way he looked so content, no longer sporting the usual furrow in between his eyebrows. His cheeks were tinted pink and his face had a sheen of sweat. You briefly wondered if you could make him look like this forever.

With that abhorrent thought, you got up and walked over to his tea station, pouring yourself a glass of water and chugging it, not wanting to acknowledge what just happened. This was uncharted territory, even for you. _Am I really catching feelings for my boss after giving him head in his office?_ Setting the cup down, you turned to see that he was rearranging himself back to usual. Shyly, you made your way back to the desk and picked up your items.

“Please be safe today,” you started, trying to instigate a normal conversation. “I know you have your team to watch your back, but we don’t even know who we’re dealing with.”

“You know you don’t have to worry about me,” Captain Ackerman muttered as he clasped his belt. You rolled your eyes and clipped his mic on the collar of his shirt, allowing your fingertips to skim over the exposed skin for a second. He looked at you then, those slated eyes bewitching you once again. _How will I ever get anything done with him looking at me like that._ After fixing everything to your liking, you stepped back and watched him strap his Kevlar vest across his chest. It was too much, he was so breathtaking in the black gear you had to pry your eyes away and force yourself to become busy with the rest of your own equipment.

After, you both walked back to Hange’s office in silence. Despite feeling like your heart could burst out of your chest, you tried to remain stoic as possible, imitating the stone-cold look that your Captain was sporting. No one batted an eye as you entered the room together, everyone was focused on ironing out the details of this important meeting. After a few successful radio checks, the Commander pulled you aside to brief you on his expectations for the proof of life phone call.

“You need to make sure he doesn’t slip up and say anything about us or the case. Keep the conversation to a minimum and don’t be afraid to step in when necessary. Do you understand?” he asked, his icy blue eyes looking at you expectantly. You nodded, still feeling like you were in over your head, but you were hoping you could count on Eren to follow instructions. One by one, Hange, Moblit, Captain Ackerman and his squad followed the Commander out the door until it was just you left in the room.

Sighing, you packed up all the leftover gear and headed back to your office before going to the basement. There was little to do but wait for Commander Smith’s call, so you grabbed some food from the cafeteria, hoping Eren would be open to you sharing. When you went back to his room, you found him sitting up in his bed, one hand resting behind his head, the other holding a book. You smiled at him as he looked up at you, closing the book and setting it down.

“Hey, Eren. Hope you don’t mind me dropping by,” you said. “I brought snacks!”

“Thank god, they definitely skimp out on the portions here,” he exclaimed, hopping off the bed. “I’m convinced the guards eat half of it beforehand.”

As he set out the assortment of food, you double checked your phone. You weren’t let in on the main frequency, just in case, and it was jarring to be so left out. The best you could do was hope the meeting would go smoothly. Eren had pulled open a packet of chips- _crisps, that’s what they call them here-_ and began munching, blissfully unaware of what was going on.

“Eren, I want you to know that they’re going to meet him now. Your half-brother. They’re going to negotiate the terms of your release soon,” you informed him. He sat forward, looking at you with unblinking turquoise eyes. “Part of it is that they have to call us to make sure you’re okay. Is that something you’re comfortable doing?”

He let out a small sigh and slumped in his bed. “Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. I trust you, Aria. Even if you are the one who kidnapped me in the first place.”  
  
You groaned and turned your attention back to the snacks in shame. “It won’t be much. I assume Mr. Yeager is just going to ask if we harmed you in any way or something about your location.”

“Don’t call him that. He doesn’t have any right to share my name. Just call him Zeke, please,” he mumbled, picking through the bag of crisps again. You nodded slowly, munching on your food quietly. It was weird that Eren had such hostility towards his half-sibling while the man was so adamant on his release. Of course, having a liability, no matter how estranged, would be cause for worry for any criminal.

At one o’ clock precisely, your phone began to ring. Eren looked up from his book, alarmed and you put a finger to your lips as you checked the caller’s name. It was from Commander Erwin himself, and you answered it.

“Hello, sir,” you answered.  
  
“Hello, Agent. Do you mind putting young Eren on the phone please?” he responded. You looked up at him as he gave you a comforting nod. Placing the phone on speaker, you got up and sat next to Eren on his bed.

“Hi, this is Eren,” he croaked out. He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. He looked at you for direction, but you stayed silent.

“Eren! Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?” Zeke’s worried voice came blaring through the phone. Eren rolled his eyes before answering.

“I’m fine, Zeke. What the fuck is going on? Does Dad know what you’re involved in?” he gritted out. You brought the phone closer to you, unsure how Zeke was going to respond to the accusatory response.

“Eren, I’m sorry. I didn’t want either of you involved in any of this. I’m gonna fix it, okay?” Zeke said apologetically.

“Alright, that’s enough. Thank you,” Commander Smith said, sounding closer to the receiver as if he had taken the phone back. He hung up and an uncomfortable silence settled on the both of you.

“Something’s up,” Eren mumbled. “His apology sounded sincere, but that’s not like him at all. Zeke rarely shows emotion, if at all. I mean, I didn’t think he even cared about me that much.”  
  
You paused, not knowing how to respond. On one hand, Eren seemed truly touched that Zeke was going through such lengths for his safe return. On the other hand, he could be playing him like a drum and have something else planned. At this point, with everything you had been experiencing since you started this case, you were leaning towards the latter.

You put a hand on his shoulder, choosing to stay silent for his sake. After a small moment, you got up, throwing your trash in the dustbin. As you went back to grab your things, you realized that Eren looked miserable. Swallowing your pride, you pulled out your phone and shot a quick message to Armin, asking him to come down to meet Eren, hoping that would lift his spirits.

“Hey, you did good okay? Everything is gonna be fine. I’m sure they’re figuring all the details out and you’ll get to go home soon and Zeke will be behind bars,” you tried to sound reassuring. “Armin’s going come down in a bit so maybe you can try to kick his ass in chess.”  
  
Eren let out a short laugh and flopped back on the bed. “You know I will never be able to beat him. What I can do, though, is shotgun a beer faster them him, for sure.”  
  
“Ugh, gross. Beer just makes you fat,” you said, throwing your bag over your shoulder.

“Beer is nectar from the gods,” Eren joked. You stuck a finger in your mouth and made a face before walking to the door. Pausing in the doorframe, you turned to him and smiled.

“Hopefully you get to go back to your parties and beer soon, Eren. I’ll come see you later, okay?” you said. He waved at you as you headed out, and you closed the door behind you before making your way back to the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for fun times times with Levi! I am super excited for the plot to thicken, you guys are in for it! Please let me know any feedback you think of, it is much appreciated!


	6. killshot

The rest of your team didn’t come back until late that afternoon. While you were waiting for their return you busied yourself the best you could. The primary focus of your time went to trying to connect as many dots as you could. It was frustrating, trying to figure out the connection between Zeke Yeager, his assigned assassin “V” and the young Wesley Tybur. The more you dove deep into the family, the shadier their connections got. You realized, with enough evidence, you could bring them in for insider trading, unlawful labor practices, and many other illegal activities. Their wealth kept them safe, but the means certainly did not justify the ends.

After compiling as much as you could, you shut down the monitor and took a lap around Hange’s office, trying to stretch your legs out and shake off your nerves. They had been gone for a couple hours at this point, and you were on edge. As you strolled past Hange’s stockpile of evidence, something caught your eye. Pulling out a pair of gloves, you picked it up to get a better look at it. Hange had managed to bring in the assassin’s hairpin from the crime scene this morning, the murder weapon for Dimo Reaves’ demise. Your eyes widened as you stared at the contraption in your hand. Without a doubt, this mechanism had to have been made in the Underground, the same place that manufactured the bracelet on your wrist. You twiddled it between your fingers, trying to imagine how the assassin would utilize it efficiently.

Shuddering, you put the hairpin back in the box. On second thought, you undid the clip in your hair and felt the strands fall down your back. Grabbing your tresses, you wrapped it around a few times into a bun shape and slid the pin into the middle, keeping it in place. It felt heavy on your head, and foreign, like it wasn’t meant to be there. You glanced at your face in your phone’s camera, shocked at how it looked, shining within the locks. You decided to keep it in, compelled by a strange pull in your heart that said _That’s right “V”. I’m gonna get you._

Your moment was interrupted by a short crackle in your earpiece. “Aye, Agent Reader. We’re on our way back now. Can you set up the conference room, please?” Gunther said.

“Roger, see you guys soon,” you responded. Closing the evidence box, you scribbled a note to Hange telling her you were borrowing the pin for the time being. After grabbing your things, you headed back the conference room.

You had ended up dozing off, waiting for the team to come back. As the door creaked open, you sat up, startled. Moblit came in, followed by Hange and the rest of the Special Agent squad. They acknowledged your presence in the room before slumping into their respective seats. Curiosity bubbled in you, but you kept your mouth shut. Nobody seemed forthcoming with information, and it was best for the Commander and your Captain to take lead on whatever was going to happen next.

“Does anybody want some water?” you piped up, grabbing some from the refreshment station. Petra and Gunther gratefully took a bottle and Moblit took two since Hange had her nose buried in her notebook. You had just taken your seat again when last two members walked in. Captain Ackerman strode straight to the computer, plugging in a hard drive and mulling over the contents. Your stomach did a quick somersault, but you couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that he didn’t acknowledge you at all. _What are you going on about, there’s a mission going on!_

“Alright guys, let’s get this settled once and for all. Zeke Yeager has been most forthcoming today. We have negotiated the complete terms of release for his half-brother. Day after tomorrow, we will meet exchange the young Yeager for full authority over himself and his assets, including our assassin,” the Commander spoke from the back of the room. Your eyes widened as the full gravity of the situation sunk in. Zeke Yeager sold himself out for his brother, and a coveted killer was going down with him. Which meant that the plan had actually worked; the MI6 could actually have been able to crack Sasha’s cold case.

“Looks like the dogshit got in over his head, and now he wants out,” Captain Ackerman muttered. “Lucky for us, with his connections we might be able to unravel this whole game.”  
  
“What do you mean, sir? Are you saying they work for a larger organization?” Petra asked.

“By all accounts, Zeke Yeager doesn’t have the brain, money or manpower to orchestrate the number of hit jobs connected to his assassin. And she’s probably not even the only one, there are many unsolved cases with similar M.O’s. The obvious answer is that they are just pawns in a bigger game. Since the slimeball seems to have given up his loyalty to whatever team he’s on, this gives us an opportunity to go all in. I will squeeze as much information out of him as he can give, mark my words,” Captain Ackerman responded gravely. You didn’t even want to begin thinking of what that would entail. He was a master of his craft, which meant there was a good chance Zeke wouldn’t come out of that interrogation alive if he resisted. 

“And what of Eren?” you asked before you could stop yourself. “He’s gonna be overwhelmed after this is all over. We have to provide him with any assistance possible after his release, right?”  
  
Captain Ackerman’s eyes narrowed in your direction, finally looking at you head on. Commander Smith unfolded his arms and strode to the front of the room. “Yes, of course. We will give him any and all resources he needs, after he signs the appropriate NDA’s.”

You let out a long exhale, feeling a little less guilty. It was hard to stay focused on the Commander’s briefing on how the exchange was going to go down. You didn’t pay much attention anyway; your only job was to stay in the van and make sure everyone’s equipment was working. The arrangement was taking place in an isolated area, a lush forest beside a running creek in the middle of nowhere. You almost laughed at the absurd location, but you supposed it was the safest place they could think of in a short time frame. Commander Smith ended the presentation and looked around the room, his piercing blue eyes roaming over every team member.

“I am hoping this will go well. However, just in case, we will have a Tactical Firearms Unit in place as well as a medical squad on standby. We have to take every precaution possible. Does anybody have any questions?” he concluded. You looked around the room, everyone had their brows furrowed as they digested the information. Slowly, everyone began stating their opinions and gave suggestions to iron out as many details of the mission as possible. By the time you were ready to leave the meeting, the team was feeling pretty confident about how everything was going to go down.

Hange, Commander Smith and Captain Ackerman had to go debrief Chief Pixis on the plan, so you meandered your way back to your office. Armin was sitting in his desk, chatting with someone enthusiastically on the phone. As soon as he saw you enter, he straightened up and said a quick goodbye before putting the receiver down. You wiggled your eyebrows, suddenly suspicious.

“Well, well, well. Is my boss keeping secrets from me? I thought we were past all that,” you teased. Armin, in a strange turn of events, blushed and ran a nervous hand through his blonde hair. Still chuckling, you pulled up a seat next to him and took the assassin’s pin out of your hair. His blue eyes widened as you shook your hair free and adjusted it around your face.

“A-Aria, what…,” he trailed off as you placed the object on the table. “Is this the murder weapon? Are you crazy? What are you doing with that?”

“Chill please, I just want to understand how it works, okay? I just saw it upstairs and…I don’t know. I just got really curious, I guess,” you muttered, turning the hairpin over in your hands. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, Armin cautiously picked it up and inspected it.

“It looks like she has a syringe engraved inside the thicker part of the clip. The back as a little button, probably to dispel the poison. What’s interesting is how she is able to keep such a lethal chemical balanced in her hair.”  
  
You frowned, clearly confused. “What do you mean, balanced? It’s a hair pin, not an explosive device.”  
  
“Well yes, but no. With some compounds, too much movement can also produce a reaction. So if someone who quite active, say an assassin running around to evade police, knocks the solution around too much…well, she can end up hurt as well,” Armin explained. You sank back in your chair, trying to process this information.

“Maybe she doesn’t wear it? She could just keep it in a safe place and use it when necessary,” you said. The gears in your head were turning, trying to piece your theory together. “No, this pin is her signature. The girl in the picture had short hair. She must have had it long up until some point, that’s why she started off with using hair accessories as a weapon. Somewhere along the lines she cut her hair, but she kept the same technique, just using it differently.”

“Wonder what made her want to change her look. I thought hair and stuff was important to girls,” Armin said softly. You poked him as you started giggling. “Please Armin, since when do you know so much about girls?”

“Hey, I just assumed okay?” Armin put his hands up defensively, struggling to hold his laugh in. Eventually the two of you were in hysterics. _Maybe this genius isn’t so bad._ Your combined laughter rang so loud that you didn’t hear the slight knock at the office’s open door. It wasn’t until you heard someone clear their throat that the two of you sat up straight and swiveled around in your chairs to see who it was.

Leaning against the doorframe was your Captain, arms crossed. Almost instinctively, you grabbed the hairpin from the desk and shoved in your pocket as Armin stood up to greet him.

“Hi, sir! Can I help you with anything?” he asked. You watched as he lazily pushed himself off the frame and sauntered into the IT department’s office. Looking around the room, he made a face at the stacks of equipment and computer parts that were scattered around. His fingertips swept over one of your colleague’s desk and his nose scrunched in disapproval.

“Tch,” he said, continuing his way over to you. “You nerds work in a filthy office. I will need to speak to your commander about this.”

You suppressed the instinct to roll your eyes. Anyone who worked in this office knew that the person in charge of your department was a lazy creep who sat in his personal office and did nothing all day. It was no wonder Armin had to step up and make some changes after Hange got her promotion.

“Is there anything you need, sir?” you asked, looking at him expectantly. You didn’t know what you were expecting, all of your work regarding the case had been done for the day. As for any other activities, you weren’t expecting him to make a move on you in your shared office.

“Yes,” he said, grey eyes landing on you. “What are you doing tonight?”

You became acutely aware of Armin stiffening next you, unsure of what to do with himself. You looked down at your shoes, not wanting anyone to see the sudden flush that was burning your cheeks. “Nothing, sir. I have taken care of my tasks for the day. Do you need me to help you with something?”

Captain Ackerman folded his arms and glanced over at Armin, who looked like he wished he was anywhere but here. “Come to dinner with me.”

Your eyes shot up and you looked at him in disbelief. “Right now, sir?” you said weakly. The Captain sauntered over to your desk and began acknowledging your personal effects. “Do you have any reason not to?” he challenged as he picked up a picture frame. You cringed; it was a family photo from your Basic Training graduation years ago. In an attempt to get him to put the photo down, you agreed to go.

“No, of course not. I’m ready when you are,” you said while picking up your bag and phone. He placed the frame back on your desk and walked straight to the door, not even bothering to look back to see if you’d follow. You marched out behind him, throwing Armin a worried glance and putting a finger to your lips, hoping that will stop him from saying anything.

He was silent in the elevator, cautiously watching the screen as the levels changed. You stood next to him, nervously running your thumb up and down the strap of your workbag, wondering if he was waiting for you to say something.

“So, are you excited for the mission?” you started. At the same time, he crossed his arms and said, “Do you have any preference for dinner?”

Both of you looked at each other in surprise and looked away just as quickly. You quietly cleared your throat and smiled at him. “No, I’m down for anything.” He gave a short nod and didn’t say anything else as the elevator doors opened to the lobby.

You followed him out to the doors, bracing yourself for the wind and cold outside. As you began to go down the steps, he tersely grabbed your arm and said, “Wait here.” You watched as he quickly went to the parking garage and flashed his badge to the attendant before disappearing inside.

A few minutes later, a sleek black Audi pulled up in front of you and you hesitated before realizing that this was his car. _Looks like being MI6’s top agent sure has it’s perks._ He parked the sedan and hopped out before walking to the passenger door and waiting for you. You hurried down the steps as he opened your door, and you sat down, hiding the smile that was slowly beginning to spread on your face. While you waited for him to come around, you took in the luxury of the car. The Audi A6 was a new model, looking as pristine as if he had just taken it off the lot. You marveled at the beautiful leather brown interior while your Captain opened his door and hauled himself in. He started the car and remained focused on the road as he drove you both to wherever he had decided to take you for dinner. Your hands felt clammy as you shoved them under your thighs, looking out the window but you couldn’t help but sneak a few glances as he drove, looking irresistible as ever.

He had rolled the sleeves of his white button-up to his elbows, now that they were off duty. The long slender fingers you were so fascinated with were gripping the wheel expertly and his eyes were trained on the road. After a few minutes of riding in silence, you tentatively asked if you could turn on the radio, to which he gave a noncommittal grunt. You reached over and pressed the power button, letting the soft tunes take up the empty silence in the car.

The ride was short, and before you knew it he had pulled up to an unassuming restaurant. He graciously opened the door for you again, something you hoped you could get used to, and walked you up to the server at the door.

“Table for two, please,” he said. The host smiled and took you to both to your seats and handed off the menus. You perused the choices, noting that he had brought you to an Italian restaurant. _A safe choice,_ you decided. _Who doesn’t like pasta?_ After you both ordered your choices, he cleared his throat and spoke up. “She’ll have a glass of one of your Zinfandel’s please.”

You looked up at him in shock, there was no way he had noticed what you were drinking when he came to your apartment last night. _This had to have been a lucky guess,_ you thought. Still, you couldn’t help but feel some butterflies in your stomach as you entertained the notion. As the waitress left, you nervously took a sip of your water and Captain Ackerman folded his hands on the table.

“What’s going on with you and Eren Yeager?” he asked bluntly. You almost choked into your glass.

“I’m sorry?” you sputtered out, setting it down. He looked at you with stony eyes, no mirth or hint of teasing behind them. “I don’t know what you mean, sir. Eren’s just caught in a bad situation, I’m just trying to be there for him.”

“Levi,” he responded, not taking his eyes off yours. Your heart skipped a beat when he uttered his own name.

“Sir…?” you said weakly.

“No. We aren’t at work. Call me Levi,” he said. Suddenly your throat went very dry and you took another sip of water, unsure what to say. “As I was saying, you and Eren Yeager. What’s the deal?”

“I told you, sir-Levi,” you corrected yourself. “I’m just trying to be a friend. Armin, too. He spends more time with him anyway.”

“Has he divulged any information that is necessary to this case?” he asked, polishing his cutlery with the provided napkin. You shook your head.

“We don’t really talk about that stuff,” you responded. “Mostly he talks about college and I just sit there and listen. Armin plays chess with him.”

“I see,” he said, checking the shine against the light above your table. He set the knife down and looked at you squarely. “Okay then, what about you? What made you leave America and come here?”

You blinked at him, unsure of where this conversation was going. It dawned on you then, this was Levi’s way of trying to get to know you. You gave him a shy smile and tucked your hair behind your ear. “Um, well. To be honest, I just wanted a change. The army was fun and all, but it got really monotonous after a while. And I wasn’t getting promoted in the CIA anyway, so when this opportunity came up, I just took it.”

He regarded your answer thoughtfully and took a moment before he asked his next question. “Did your family have anything to say about the matter?”

 _Yikes, now we’re headed into dangerous territory._ You twisted your fingers together in your lap. “Yeah that’s, uh, complicated,” you mumbled. Levi sat up straight and tucked the other napkin into his collar.

“I apologize. Seems like I have hit a sore subject,” he said. You shook your head and smiled.

“No, it’s okay! What about you? Do you like working as a detective?” you tried to change the subject.

“It is a challenging job, and I like to push myself,” he said, carefully choosing his words. “Not always rewarding, but it is what it is.”

At that point the waitress returned with your meals and your drink, and the rest of the dinner was silent, except for the occasional comment here and there. After Levi paid for the dinner, he walked you back out to his car. As he started the engine you turned to him.

“Do you want to get dessert? There’s a really good ice cream spot near my apartment,” you asked. He glanced at you for a split second and nodded his head. A smile crept on your face; you were full with good food and wine, you were getting ice cream and best of all you were with _him. Levi._ His name echoed in your head for the rest of the drive.

After picking up the sweet treats, he drove you back to your apartment complex, idling in the parking lot. As you clambered out of the passenger seat, your pulse quickened and before you could stop yourself you had leaned back into the car.

“Hey Levi, do you wanna come upstairs? My mom just sent me a package with some new flavors of tea and I know how much you like tea, so you can try some if you want,” you rambled. Levi’s mouth quirked and he motioned for you to shut the door. As he drove out to find parking, you began panicking a little. _What the fuck did I just do? I invited him up! Does he think that…wait. Am I ready to…?_

The nervousness intensified as he walked back towards you nonchalantly, his hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers, hair tousled slightly from the wind. You opened the door for him, shrugging off your coat and adjusting your hair.

“I’m sorry if my apartment is a little messy. I wasn’t planning on having any visitors,” you said while waiting for the elevator.

“No worries, it’s fine” he said. You turned to him, a funny look on your face. “Is it, though? I mean knowing you…” you trailed off as you both stepped into the elevator.

“Very funny, Reader,” Levi said.

“Call me Aria. You know, since we’re not at work,” you quipped, echoing the words he had said at the restaurant. The elevator dinged and you both stepped out into the hallway, following the familiar path to your apartment. As you unlocked the door, something clicked in your head.

“Hold up, the first time you came here, I didn’t have a tracking device. How did you know where I lived?” you asked.

“Tch, I looked up your file, obviously,” Levi said as he entered your apartment, taking off his shoes at the entrance. _Of course,_ you thought as you set your belongings down before making your way to your bedroom.

“I’m gonna change into something comfortable. The teabags are in the top cabinet on the far right. Please help yourself,” you called out. Levi nodded and made his way to your kitchen. As you entered your room, you felt your face grow hot, remembering what the two of you had been up to in there last night. As you pulled off your work clothes and hunted around for some loungewear you debated on how far you were willing to go tonight. Granted, there was no denying your physical attraction to Levi Ackerman, but some lines are hard to go back to once they’re crossed. If you got in too much over your head and caught feelings, there was no telling how someone as closed off as he was would respond.

Pulling out an old t-shirt and some track pants, you padded out of your closet and in front of your full-length mirror. You took a moment to admire the fading marks on your neck and collarbone; the remnants of last night. You shivered as your fingers traced over them, before shaking yourself out of it and unfolding your shirt. You were just in the middle of tugging it over your head when your bedroom door swung open. You looked up into your mirror to see Levi standing behind you, eyes wide as he took in your half naked body.

“I couldn’t find your kettle anywhere…,” he said, still gazing at you. You gulped, pulling your arm through one of the sleeves.

“No, don’t,” he said, a little breathlessly. You watched as the ever composed Levi Ackerman shut your bedroom door and walked over to where you were standing. Completely vulnerable, with one hand still stuck in your t-shirt, you looked at him in anticipation.

It was Levi who made the first move, putting his hands on either side of the shirt and pulling it back over your head and tossing it behind him. He then smoothed out your tousled hair while you stood there, trying to process what you wanted to do next. Before you knew it, his hand was cupping your jaw while the other was on your waist, pulling you closer as he brought his mouth on yours.

You sighed into the kiss, relishing in the now familiar feeling of his lips moving against yours. You pushed your body against his and he groaned, snaking his hand into your hair and grabbing a handful of it at the crown of your head. As he pushed you back towards the bed, you wrapped your arms around his neck and he lay you down gently. He broke the kiss, standing at the foot of the bed and looking down on you in your underwear, breathing hard.

“What’s wrong, Captain?” you teased. “Where’s that asshole who barged into my apartment and shoved a gun down my mouth?”

Levi’s face contorted with desire as he took his shirt off. “Fuck,” he whispered and crashed his lips against yours again. “I didn’t know you liked it like that.” Your heart thudded loudly in your chest, but you let the adrenaline control you.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Levi,” you whispered back. He kissed your marks from yesterday, and began trailing his lips down your body, stopping only when he got close to your bra.

“Aria, I have to ask,” he said, his voice not quite even. “Are you okay with this?”

His grey eyes searched your face intently, waiting for you to reject or push him away again. You smiled at him and put a hand against his cheek. “Yes, Levi. I want you. I’ve wanted you since the day I met you.”

His eyes widened as he processed what you had just confessed as you tilted your head up to meet his lips again. His hands fumbled with the strap of your bra until finally, you heard the telltale click of the clasp coming free and felt the cool air on your exposed chest. As Levi continued to explore your body with his mouth, he ran his hands down the sides of your hips and grabbed your thighs, pushing them up to your chest, his mouth going lower and _lower._

The way this man used his mouth against your most sensitive spot had you seeing stars. You gripped the sheets of your bed and threw your head back, moaning as Levi continued to taste you. You felt the familiar coil in your abdomen and you found yourself grinding your hips against his face, seeking release. It didn’t take long for him to figure you out and your whole body quivered as you came. His head still between your shaking legs, he kissed your inner thigh and stood back up.

“Fuck, Levi,” you panted, looking up at him through your lidded eyes. Even in the hazy state of your euphoria, you admired him standing between your legs, body shining with sweat and the remnants of you on his face and hands. This was dirty, but fuck if it didn’t suit him.

“Tch, so filthy,” he murmured, unbuttoning his trousers and taking them off. He looked down at you as he let himself free, and you were jolted back to reality by the realization that you would have to take in all of it. He pumped himself a few times before lining himself up with you. Leaning forward, putting his weight on his elbows, he focused on you. “Are you ready, Aria?” he smirked.

You nodded, feeling him push himself into you, and you trembled, trying to adjust to him. It had been a while and it was quite uncomfortable. You bit your lip to keep yourself from crying out in pain, instead squeezing your eyes shut and breathing through it.

“Are you okay?” he asked. You nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder to steady yourself. After a few moments, the stinging subsided and you rocked your hips slightly, feeling him beginning to fill you up. Levi pushed himself further, groaning in pleasure, and you felt your arousal spike. Slowly, he set a pace until the two of you were writhing against each other, completely and utterly whole.

Panting, you pushed your hair out of your sweaty face and arched your back, allowing him to take control over your body. Levi worshipped you, caressing every inch of skin he could reach as he fucked you. Your mind was blank from pleasure when suddenly Levi stopped. He pushed himself off of you and stood back. You looked at him in confusion but he just smirked, pulling you closer to the edge of the bed before grabbing your hips and turning you over. You let out a small yelp as your chest crashed into your mattress as Levi pushed your head down and lifted your ass, lining himself up again.

“This is for dancing so shamelessly with a stranger that night,” he growled into your ear as he pushed himself in. You could barely form a response as your body adjusted to the new angle. He thrust into you continuously, relishing every moan and incoherent syllable that was coming out of your mouth.

“Fuck Levi, you know it was for the job,” you struggled to say against the thick cotton blanket. Slowing his pace, he leaned over your back and suddenly plunged himself completely inside you.

“You think I give a fuck? With the dress you had on that night?” he grunted. “You were practically begging me to fuck you.”

Despite being so raw and vulnerable in that moment, you couldn’t but feel a little pull in your chest. _It was mutual, Levi_ , you wanted to say, but your mouth could barely function as your body was on fire. Levi continued working your body masterfully as you felt the tension building up again; you were so close. After a few more thrusts, your mind went blissfully numb and you sagged against the bed. Pulling himself out, he let himself go all over your back. “Fucking hell, Aria,” he groaned as he came.

Both of you were spent, but you couldn’t move out of exhaustion. Levi hauled himself off you and made his way into your bathroom, only to return moments later with a towel that he used to clean you up. Throwing the towel into your laundry, he settled himself next to you in your bed. You turned your head to the side to look at him, memorizing the pink flush that was high on his cheekbones, no doubt mirroring your own. Weakly, you lifted a hand to push his sweaty hair off his forehead and he grabbed it and brought it to his lips.

The fatigue was slowly eating at you as you felt your eyelids flutter. “Are you going to stay?” you whispered, trying not to sound as hopeful as you felt.

“Until you fall asleep,” he responded softly. You felt his hands stroke your hair as you gave in and passed out.

~

The next morning you woke up groggily, acutely aware of some soreness around your hips and abdomen area. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you stretched out in the bed and blinked at the ceiling. After a few moments, you remembered the events of last night; Levi in your room, kissing you, touching you, making you feel pleasure like never before. You grabbed your pillow and smushed it against your face, letting out a muffled scream. Despite knowing what to expect, you couldn’t help but glance over to the other side of the bed, hoping in your heart of hearts that it wouldn’t be empty. Unfortunately for you, it seemed like Levi had left some time after you had fallen asleep.

You spent the better half of the morning lazing around under the covers, not wanting to get out and face reality. The office was probably in mayhem in preparation for tomorrow’s mission, and you didn’t want to be a part of it. Eventually, you pulled yourself out of bed and into the shower, scrubbing yourself clean from last night’s activities. After pulling on a pair of jeans and a grey sweater, you finished getting ready and headed over to the MI6 headquarters, ready to tackle the rest of the day.

As soon as you stepped off the elevator on the 37th floor, you felt your heart begin to race again at the prospect of having to see Levi after last night. You weren’t sure how to handle yourself, but resolved to stay professional as no one else at work knew what was going on. There was also that nagging thought in the back of your mind that was forcing you to consider the option that Levi could just be using you to hook up and nothing more. You shook it out of your mind and purposefully strode towards Hange’s office.

“Good morning everyone!” you said cheerfully as you pulled the door open. Hange and Commander Smith looked up briefly to acknowledge your presence, and then resumed their conversation. You frowned, noting that you couldn’t find Levi in the room. Moblit came bustling past you, carrying a cup of coffee and some paperwork, and you quickly jumped out of his way to prevent the drink from spilling.

“Hey Moblit, do you need any help?” you asked the frantic assistant. He set his items down and threw himself in a chair, typing away on his tablet.

“With the Captain and his squad out canvassing the area for tomorrow, there isn’t much left for us to do. Hange and Erwin are finalizing the squads they want to take. We just have to make sure nothing malfunctions,” he explained.

At the mention of Levi, you physically felt your body react to his name. Clenching your jaw, you willed yourself to calm down. It was not good to feel this way about someone you just slept with, especially someone as standoffish as Levi Ackerman. You just had to accept the fact that you got what you wanted and move on.

At least, that’s what you ideally wanted to happen. But when Levi and his squad returned a few hours later, geared up in all black and belts, you couldn’t help but bite your lip and admire your Captain and his lithe silhouette in the cargo pants and fitted long sleeve. He gave a you small nod of acknowledgement before heading over to the Commander to brief him of his findings, while you were whisked away to take care of some adjustments to Petra and Oluo’s gear. You didn’t see him for the rest of the day, and it took all of your willpower and ego to keep you from wandering to his office, hoping to see him. There was no point anyway, the whole floor was preparing for tomorrow’s mission, and you had done your job for the day. After packing your things, you made your way back to the basement, aiming to see Eren one more time before the exchange.

Eren was asleep when the MP opened the door, dozing off in his twin sized bed. You began to tiptoe out quietly to let him rest, but just as you were about to close the door you heard his sheets rustle as he whispered, “Armin?”

“Oh gosh, hi Eren. It’s me, Aria. I’m so sorry, I’ll let you sleep, okay?” you replied. He sat up fully in his bed, rubbing his eyes.

“Can you stay? Please? I’m having trouble falling asleep,” he mumbled. Your eyes flew open in shock, not sure how to respond to his request. Glancing at your watch, you realized it was already pretty late, but the rest of the team was probably going to be up all night anyway, so no one would miss you. You placed your things on Eren’s desk and sat down next to him on his bed. Almost immediately, he slumped his head on your shoulder.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” you asked, trying to be as sincere as possible. This was a new side to Eren, despite everything he had gone through in the last couple of days, there were no indicators that he was struggling with his predicament. But realistically, anyone would break down eventually while being held captive as bait for a criminal brother you barely knew.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. I just feel like shit, you know?” he said into your shoulder. You raised your hand and patted his head awkwardly, and he chuckled at the gesture before sitting up straight. “You suck at this, you know?”

“I’m sorry! I don’t do well with this kind of stuff,” you said, putting your hands up defensively. “I’ve never been good at dealing with shit, you know? I just kind of push it to the side, or let work distract me until I forget about it.”

“Yeah, I feel that. Ever since my mom died it’s been hard. I guess this whole Zeke thing really just messed me up. I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around it, I mean I honestly had no idea,” Eren admitted.

“Well the good thing is that he’s going behind bars tomorrow, and you won’t have to deal with him again. Except for maybe in court,” you reasoned. Eren nodded, running a hand through his hair.

“I just hate that he’s been getting away with this, you know? Like there are people who have families and lives who commit murder and you wouldn’t even know,” he said, frustrated. You nodded sympathetically, knowing that this was one of the reasons why you moved from the army to the CIA.

“It’s a shitty world out there, Eren. I mean, you’ve barely started living it and you’ve already got a taste. The best thing is to just find the right people to surround yourself with and do the best you can,” you said wistfully, thinking of your friends in America. Your heart swelled at the realization that there was hope for new friendships and relationships here, too. “Anyways, it’s late. You should sleep. I’ll be here, I have some American celebrity gossip to catch up on.”

Eren yawned and settled back in his bed as you scooted to the end. As you tried to move, he grabbed your hand and pulled you back towards him. “Stay,” he murmured as his eyes closed. Your heart began beating frantically, knowing that this was way out of line. Despite that, you swung your legs up on the bed and sat up against the headboard, using your free hand to stroke his hair as he fell asleep. _Fuck it,_ you decided. _He needs a friend._

After you decided that Eren was fast asleep, you crept your way out of his room and back to the lobby, avoiding eye contact with the stationed guards. The last thing you needed was a rumor running around that you were spending the night with MI6 hostages. Grabbing a taxi, you headed home in desperate need of a shower and good night’s rest.

~

The next morning was a whirlwind of preparations, gearing everyone up and issuing weapons and communication devices. You didn’t even have time think or process what was about to happen, just working on autopilot until it was time to move out. As you strapped your holster to your thigh, Petra walked over to you with a knife in her teeth, asking you to slide it into its sheath behind her plates on her vest. Carefully taking the weapon, you walked behind her and slipped it into its place, shuddering at the realization that this situation could get messy. She thanked you and sauntered over to Gunther, who was loading magazines and handing them out to his squad. You wished you didn’t have to bring a weapon yourself, as you were just meant to be stationed in the van, but Commander Smith had been adamant that everyone remained armed and ready for combat if necessary.

Once the team was suited up, you ran a comms check throughout the primary squad as well as the tactical team and medical team. Commander Smith went through a brief overview and gave somewhat of a pep talk, and then before you knew it, everyone was loading up the vans and driving off. You wished you had caught a glimpse of Eren before they hauled him into one of the vehicles, but you knew it was probably for the best.

Once everyone got to the location, you turned on your earpiece and waited. You listened to the Special Agents take Eren out of his van and approach Zeke Yeager, while Commander Erwin and Hange handcuffed him. You didn’t even realize that your heart was hammering in your chest as you sat silently, alone. There was some muffled exchange of words before someone spoke up.

“Where’s the girl?” Gunther asked. There was the sound of someone laughing - it was Zeke.

“Who knows? She’s probably off to Asia by now!” he said. You clapped a hand over your mouth as you realized what was going on.

“It’s a set up!” Commander Smith called out, loud and clear. “All teams ready!”

You heard the tactical units call each other into position as gunfire exploded. Zeke Yeager had not come alone, and he was planning on taking people out before giving himself up. _Fuck, I should have known! Eren basically warned me something like this would happen. Wait, fuck, is he okay?_

You pulled out your tablet to check everyone’s location and were relieved to find that someone had taken Eren back into safe custody. What was bizarre, however, was that the Captain’s dot was running elsewhere, towards a tunnel near the creek. Your eyes skimmed the other member’s trackers, and no one seemed to be following him. _Is he going rouge? What the hell is going on?_

After deciding that you weren’t going to sit idly by, you clasped your tactical belt around your waist and shoved a magazine into your weapon. Jumping out of the van, you quickly looked around to get your bearings, noting the several MI6 agents that were engaged with Zeke Yeager’s men. Following the blinking spot on your tablet, you ran through the trees hoping to catch up with Levi before he got caught in the crossfire.

As you got closer to Levi’s now stationary dot, you slowed your pace and caught your breath, trying to figure out where he was in relation to you. Looking around, you noticed the concrete wall of the tunnel that was identical to the one on your screen. Crouching down, you nimbly tip-toed to the edge of the opening, trying to even your breathing and dull the roaring sound of your heartbeat in your ears.

Once you were able to find cover, you took a knee and peeked your head around, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. While you couldn’t see Levi, you could recognize his voice, angry and deep, echoing around the tunnel’s chamber.

“Think about what you’re doing, Mikasa. You don’t have to be a part of this bullshit anymore,” you heard him say. _Who is Mikasa?_

Still crouching, you made your way in closer to the mouth of the tunnel, finally getting a clearer view of what was going on. Once your eyes adjusted to the dim light, they flew open in shock. Levi Ackerman was pinned against the floor, fighting off a knife that was pressed against his throat by a young woman - the same woman from the picture you were tasked to identify all those weeks ago. She was grappling against Levi's defense, surrounded by tattered pieces of what looked like red fabric.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have to do this,” she said, pressing down harder on top of him. You didn’t even have to think twice about what that possibly meant. Immediately, you whipped your gun from your holster and aimed it at her, taking a deep breath. Ensuring Levi was out of shot, you pulled the trigger.

You watched as the woman fell to the side, clutching the shoulder you hit. The ring of the gunshot rang in your ears as you made your way closer to Levi, keeping your gun pointed at her.

“Aria, what the fuck are you doing here?” Levi choked out. You didn’t dare look at him as you focused on Mikasa, who was writhing in pain and shouting at you.

“Are you hurt?” you called out.

“Aria, what did you-“

“Levi, ARE YOU HURT?” you yelled, trying to keep your hands and mind steady. Once you got close to the two of them, you pulled out a pair of handcuffs from your belt and cuffed the woman, propping her up against the wall as you went to attend to Levi, who was groaning in pain and slick with what you hoped wasn’t blood. Grabbing your radio, you called for backup and a medic, sending your coordinates through your tablet.

As you kneeled in front of Levi, you holstered your weapon and began patting him down, ripping away the bloodied clothing on his body. As your hand passed the side of his abdomen, it came up wet, and you looked at it in disbelief.

“What the fuck, Levi,” you whispered, looking up at him. Panic began to set in as you noticed that his eyes were fluttering, and you hoped he wasn’t about to lose consciousness. “No, no, no, no!”

Your hands scrambled to your belt as you pulled out your mediocre medical kit, and you bandaged the now exposed deep gash that ran along Levi’s body. All the while the woman next to you kept twitching and rolling around, trying to escape. In a momentary lapse in judgment, you grabbed the knife that was now lying next to your Captain and stabbed it into her thigh. She screamed in pain, and you felt a little bit of satisfaction that you knew you would come to regret.

As the medics rolled in with two gurneys, you watched as they strapped Levi and the woman and hoisted them out of the tunnel. Sitting back on your heels, you stayed back in the tunnel, trying to clear your mind before you had to go out there and face the aftermath. After a few moments of silence, you hauled yourself on your feet and turned on your flashlight, hoping to clean up the remnants of your medical kit before heading out. As you picked up an open roll of gauze, the light flashed on something, catching your eye.

Kneeling down, you brushed at the dirt and debris that lined the grimy tunnel floor before finding what you were looking for. When you picked it up, you felt your stomach drop. You instantly recognized what you were holding, and how could you not; considering the fact that you were wearing an identical one your own wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eek, I'm so excited!! The twist has finally come. Anyways, I'm so sorry for not updating, midterms and life just got in the way. As before, please give me any feedback or critique or general comments! Thanks!


	7. betrayal

The last two weeks since the showdown in the forest were a blur for you. Between constant depositions and running point on arrests alongside Petra and Gunther, you hadn’t been free for anything more than a shower and a bite to eat from time to time.

That day, while you were scouting for Levi in the tunnel, the rest of the team had taken out Zeke Yeager’s men and took him into custody, as well as any survivors. Commander Smith did a fantastic job of orchestrating the downfall of the Marleyan Terrorist Organization, something no one even knew existed. He learned that Zeke Yeager was employed by none other than the Tybur family, who had been running a high stakes gamble of trying to take control of a majority of the British monarchy, while hiring and training hitmen to take out anyone who got in their way. This organization had been running in the shadows for decades, but with more money and power, they became greedy and careless. Realistically, the MI6 got lucky. The connection between Zeke and his hitwoman was a snag in the Tyburs’ grand plan, which ultimately led to their demise. As you gathered and apprehended more people tied to the organization, you marveled at the impressive amount of man power they had put together over the years.

When the news broke out that the newly positioned Wesley Tybur was connected to criminal activity, his seat was given up and he was taken into confinement. During interrogations, he remained tight-lipped about the whereabouts of his father, or of any details regarding his hand in building the Marleyan Terrorists. The search for Willy Tybur became priority, but everyone knew there would be no progress until the Captain was fully recovered.

Captain Levi and the woman from the tunnel were taken to the hospital to get their injuries taken care of. As far as you knew, both of them were still there in recovery; at least you hoped they were. You hadn’t visited Levi at all these two weeks, and every time Armin came in and tried to coax you into making a trip with him, you would roll your eyes and complain about how much paperwork you had to do. You knew it was a lie; every part of you ached to see him again, but his betrayal was too much for you to swallow.

Instead, you turned your attention on uncovering the mysterious “V”, who went by the nickname “Vixen”. Turns out, her real name was Mikasa Ackerman, a nobody who was plucked off the street and given a new life within the Marleyan Terrorist Organization. The identical last names were confusing, and there wasn’t anything more you could find on her, but you were not planning on turning to Levi for answers. The only thing you were proud of these past couple of weeks was that you hadn’t given in to your rage. The knowledge that the one person you trusted the most was in connection with the very woman you were pursuing was infuriating and your pride got in the way of getting to the bottom of the issue. So when Armin casually informed you that afternoon that Captain Ackerman was given the green light by his doctors to give his deposition today, you couldn’t help but search for the files that held the transcripts and recordings. For the rest of the day you were antsy, ready to go home and watch the videos in peace without risking someone overhearing.

That night, you crawled into bed after showering and eating a hasty dinner, ready to learn the truth once and for all. Balancing your laptop on your knees, you opened the files that you had downloaded and pressed play. The first thing that came on screen was Levi, looking haggard and exhausted. He was seated in a wheelchair and clothed in a hospital gown and a simple grey jacket. He probably hadn’t had an opportunity to cut his hair, you realized, as his black hair was falling past his eyebrows and his undercut definitely needed a trim. You felt a slight pang in your chest as you studied his tired eyes and pale face. The loss of blood and stress had taken a toll on him, but you shook your pity out of your head as you reminded yourself why he was the man in front of the camera in the first place.

You remembered toying with the bracelet for hours that day, trying to decide whether to turn it in as evidence or to keep it under wraps for fear of getting Levi in trouble. Eventually, you handed it over to Director Hange privately and explained the situation to her as generally as you could. Despite your attempts to keep his involvement discreet, the fingerprints and DNA evidence made it blatantly clear that while Levi may not have done anything wrong, he definitely had a hand in this situation and had some explaining to do. So here you were, nervously chewing on your fingernails as the faceless lawyer on the other side began asking questions.

“State your name for the record, please?” her boring, monotone voice spoke.

“Levi,” he mumbled. There was a pause, and you assumed the lawyer was giving him a pointed look to finish the name. “Levi Ackerman.”

“Mr. Ackerman,” she continued. “Can you explain to me the events that led to your injuries?”

He cleared his throat and sat up a little bit, wincing slightly in pain. “You’re going to want to back track a bit, lady.”

Another pause as he glared at whoever he was seated across.

“Okay…tell me about your relationship with the Vixen, or Mikasa Ackerman. Are you two family?” she asked. Levi huffed as he debated how to respond.

“No,” he responded curtly. Another awkward silence as the lawyer waited for an explanation you knew he wasn’t going to give. “So have you met her before? I mean before she injured you and was taken out by an agent?” she asked, trying to get him to open up.

You noticed Levi’s jaw clench as the lawyer alluded to you and you felt your mouth go dry. Levi folded his hands on the table and looked away.

“Yes,” he said glumly. “The first raid at Reiner Braun’s apartment. She was cleaning house when I got there. We both recognized each other, since I used to help at the orphanage she was raised in. It was run by the organization I was recruited into when I was a teenager.”

“And did she initiate an attack? Did you try to detain her then?” the lawyer pressed.

“No, we spoke like old chums,” he muttered sarcastically. Clearly, Levi was uncomfortable talking about his past like this and you could tell he was starting to get defensive; his cold, steel walls coming up again. “I asked her what she was doing here, she explained her situation. She didn’t have a choice you know, in the world we grew up in it’s either kill or be killed. Your options are limited, and she did what she had to do to survive.”

“So you pitied her,” the woman said. Your eyes widened as you started to put the pieces together. The neighbor at the apartment complex that day had told you she heard arguing. It never made sense that Reiner’s estimated time of death had been early that morning, which wouldn’t have matched the timeline that the lady had described. You had assumed she was leaving out details but you slowly realized that it had in fact been Levi and Mikasa meeting again after all these years.

“Tch, pity? There is no need for me to waste my time and energy pitying a woman who had already chosen to become a killer. She made her choice, and yet she was the one who was second guessing herself. She saw that I had gotten out of the Underground and was living life on my own terms. I believe that was what pushed her to reconsider,” he said. So that was how he had his connections to the Underground, he was a part of them. He was lucky to have made it out alive, although a man like Levi Ackerman wouldn’t let something as trivial as mafia ties stop him from doing what he wanted with his own life. Or maybe he didn’t have a choice there, either?

“She wanted out?” the lawyer asked, egging him on. Levi was silent for a moment, then he took a sip of water and looked over at her again.

“Yes,” he said. “She told me she didn’t agree with what the Tybur family was doing, and that she had had enough. She also told me she knew that her freedom in her position was limited, but that her handler, Zeke, was also having a crisis of faith. It was then that I decided we push at him instead.”

Another piece clicked in your mind. Levi’s insistence on moving forward with Eren’s capture and goading Zeke into doing the MI6’s bidding had not only been to solve the case but to deflect attention from Mikasa to keep her off the radar. “She made me a deal. I would try to find a way to help her the best I could, and she would deliver a list of names,” he muttered. “I didn’t consider her offer at first. But then--“ He broke off and took a deep breath, turning his attention to the table in front of him, scratching at it with his hands. “She threatened one of us directly. I knew that I had no choice, I had to protect our…assets.”

“So you took the deal?” the lawyer pressed. You could hear the glee in her voice, she knew she was getting closer to uncovering the truth. You took a deep breath in anticipation.

“She reached out to me not long after that. I met her and laid out some ground rules, but I kept her tethered, using a tracking device to monitor her in case she decided to go against her word,” he explained.

“And did she?” the lawyer asked.

“Yes,” he said. Your heart stopped. Going back on her word meant that she was going to make good on her threat, which meant she had made an attempt to harm you. You wracked your brain trying to remember any sinister moments from the last month, to see if you had noticed anything off or dangerous.

“I caught her prowling around an agent’s place of residence and told her off. She was agitated and upset over something and was lashing out. That was that,” he said. But that wasn’t all that, because you knew that happened to be the night you fell asleep and didn’t check in with him. The night he stormed into your apartment and pushed your gun into your mouth and watched you squirm. He was mad that night because he cared about you and was worried for you, not because you failed to follow your task. You paused the video and slumped into your bed, trying to wrap your head around all the truths that had been uncovered so far.

Levi had been working overtime trying to negotiate with Mikasa Ackerman while running missions for his team. You wondered if the Commander was in on it, or if he was dealing with all of this alone. It was no wonder he was so stressed all the time, having to work both angles. You briefly considered if all your private interactions with him were nothing more than a simple distraction from his constant stress. The thought somehow brought tears to your eyes, filling you with feelings of doubt and shame. You weren’t just some slutty intern - you were a talented and decorated veteran and agent, not some mouthpiece for Levi to shove his dick into whenever he wanted. _To be fair, you shoved his dick into your mouth all on your own._

“Curse you, brain,” you muttered before pressing play again.

“So you have had an already established relationship with the Vixen,” the lawyer said. “Let’s get to the day you got injured. How exactly did those events transpire?”

Levi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his usually cool demeanor showing some cracks. “We had agreed to meet during our exchange with Zeke Yeager. Once he betrayed us, she took off and obviously I had to go after her. She broke down and attacked me. I was…I was caught off guard,” he explained. He leaned back in his wheelchair and you saw an elbow come into frame as the lawyer bent forward, waiting for him to continue.

“I tried to reason with her, okay? I did. Shit went down and next thing I knew she’s shot and another Agent is cuffing her. That’s it,” he said. Your heart sank. Another agent? Just another agent? You damn near well saved his life! And captured a wanted assassin!

“Yes, well. What I want to know is how did Agent…is it Reader? How did Agent Reader find you in the first place? Was she in on your little arrangement with the Vixen?” she asked.

Levi’s eyes shot up as he glared at her. “She’s a technical analyst from the American military, of course her job is to monitor our locations. Given that she was probably the only one available to bother checking, she must have noticed something was off and came running.”

Your breath was uneven at this point, you couldn’t comprehend what Levi was saying. The way he spoke about you, so detached, it was hurting you more than you cared to admit. And of course, he didn’t know about your intentions, that you went after him because you were worried for him, but some part of him must have understood. At least you hoped it did.

“I see. Very well Mr. Ackerman. It seems as if you have given us enough information for our case. I wish you a speedy recovery,” the lawyer said. You heard the scraping of a chair as she rose and you watched Levi silently place his hands in his lap as a nurse came into the frame and rolled him away. The video stopped and you shut your laptop and tossed it to the side before throwing the covers over your head. In your cocoon, you let the tears come.

~

A few days later you were sitting at your desk working on a case report on yet another arrest of a Marleyan Terrorist member. You were determined to finish this case and get reassigned before Levi was released and Mikasa was taken in. You couldn’t bear to have to see either of them again, unless it was in court. The realization that your feelings for Levi went beyond just physical was terrifying, and you knew you were setting yourself up for pain by acknowledging them. So you did what you knew best, throwing yourself into work to keep your mind from wandering.

It was a quiet day, no one was in the office and you were engrossed in the report, hoping to leave early once you finished. As you were typing, you heard a small knock at the door. Looking up, you saw Commander Erwin Smith standing in the doorway. Immediately, you rose to your feet.

“Good afternoon, sir,” you greeted him. He stepped into the room and walked over to your desk.

“Relax, Agent. Good afternoon. Do you have a minute?” he asked, his clear blue eyes looking at you expectantly. You glanced over at your computer, focusing on the blinking cursor on the document.

“I was hoping to get this done within the hour, sir. Is there anything you need from me?” you asked.

“Yes, actually. I needed to talk to you about something,” he said. Your stomach dropped. _Does he know about me and Levi? Am I about to get fired?_ He extended his elbow out to you and smiled. “Why don’t we go for a walk?”

You closed your laptop and grabbed your coat to follow him out the building. He led you to the courtyard behind the headquarters’ buildings while you were tentatively holding his arm. Once you both stepped outside, you shivered and pulled your coat tighter, hoping to keep some of your body heat trapped inside. He made his way through the trail and you had to scurry a little to match his pace. After a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat and looked straight ahead.

“I wanted to talk to you about this first, before the news spread around. The thing is…uh,” he put his hand on his chin and nervously rubbed his neck. “As I’m sure you know, Mikasa Ackerman has been in critical condition for a while now.”

You whipped your head to look at him, eyes wide in confusion. “Critical condition?” you echoed.

“Yes, didn’t Agent Arlert tell you?” he asked. Wordlessly, you shook your head no. Your heart was hammering in your chest. “Ah well. I guess not. It seems as though this morning she succumbed to her injuries and passed away. I wanted to tell you that the Chief is clearing you from all penalties and that he knows you acted in self-defense. Do you understand, Agent Reader? Agent?” he asked. He turned around and saw that you were a few steps behind him, frozen in shock. You were looking at him in panic, with trembling hands that were clenched to your sides. Immediately he jogged back over to you and put his hands on his shoulders, trying to steady your swaying body.

“She’s…she’s dead?” you whispered. You felt like you were going to collapse, or at the very least throw up. “I killed her, didn’t I? Her leg, I mean I didn’t have to do it, she was already incapacitated when I shot her shoulder, I didn’t have to do it!”

“Agent, listen to me. You did what you had to do to protect yourself and to save Captain Ackerman. Whatever happened in that tunnel is done. Do you understand me? You did it to survive, and that’s okay,” he reassured you. But you kept your eyes on the floor, too shocked and mortified to even look up at him. You knew what he was saying was right but it didn’t take away from the fact that a young woman was dead because of your hands. You tried to compose yourself and stand up straight.

“Does she have any family? Anyone who can see her off?” you asked quietly. Commander Smith dropped his hands and looked away.

“No, unfortunately she doesn’t. Her funeral is this Saturday, if you’d like to join. It might help give you some closure,” he said. You didn’t know what to say, so you just nodded again while looking at the floor. “Reader…Aria, you did good work. I want you to know that. And I’m here for you if you need anything, okay?”

He patted your shoulder and walked back inside the building, leaving you alone in the garden to process your feelings. Your mind kept flashing back to Mikasa in the tunnel, the stricken look on her face as she fought against Levi. The gunshot echoed in your head over and over until you pressed the palms of your hands against your temples and let out a frustrated scream. This was too much, all of it was too much.

Walking back to your office felt like a chore, so you sat in the courtyard of the building with your knees against your chest, wrapping your arms around your legs to keep yourself together. As your stared at the swaying flowers and leaves, you tried to calm the anxiety that was building in your body. You had seen death and destruction before; your second deployment from five years ago was not an easy one, but this was different territory. Never in your career had you been the hand behind the weapon, you were always tucked away working with gear. This wasn’t part of the job description.

After about an hour, you unwound yourself from the bench and made your way back to the office, ready to just go home and sleep the rest of the day away. As you walked through halls of your floor, you couldn’t help but feel like everyone’s eyes were on you. Not knowing if everyone knew about what was going on was making you paranoid and you avoided looking at anyone until you were back in the comfort of your office. Unfortunately, you were no longer alone.

“Hey, Aria. I was looking for you,” Armin said nervously, standing awkwardly behind his desk. You let out an exasperated breath and went straight to your area, picking up your things as fast as you could.

“Not now, Armin, please. I just want to go home,” you said as you shouldered your way past him.

“I know, I know. I just want you to know that I’m here for you, okay? If you need anything. Eren, too, if that matters,” he said. You paused in the doorway for a second, your head clouded with remorse, guilt and most of all, anger.

“I don’t need you Armin. Please just leave me alone. Can you do that? Can you just leave me the fuck alone?” you snapped. As you stormed out of the building and hailed a taxi home, you felt bad, but that guilt paled in comparison to everything else that was eating away at you. You promised yourself that you would apologize to Armin when things settled down.

Once you stepped inside your apartment, you stripped off your clothes and went straight into the shower, barely feeling the too-hot water as it scalded your skin. Suddenly feeling strangely empty, you sank down onto the shower floor and propped your head against the wall. Closing your eyes, you felt the water soak your body as you tried to process what happened today.

Whether or not you were acting in self-defense was not the issue, the fact of the matter was that a woman was dead by your hand, something you would never be able to get over. The worst part was the sinking realization that Mikasa Ackerman did want better for herself. She turned to Levi for help because she wanted out, and even if she was wishy-washy in the moment, at the end of the day she had the clarity to realize what she was doing was wrong and that she deserved more. And now that possibility was denied because of you.

“Fuck,” you muttered, running your hand through your wet hair. You tasted salt on the edge of your lips, and with the water streaming down your face you hadn’t even realized you were crying. Between last night and today, you weren’t sure if you were emotionally stable enough to get through the rest of the week, much less a funeral for the woman you killed.

~

Somehow, that Saturday, you found yourself in a simple black dress and heels, standing on the lawn in front of an open pit, staring at the closed casket in front of you. It was a grey afternoon, the perfect backdrop for a morose situation. Mikasa Ackerman’s funeral was a despondent affair; the only people who came were yourself, Armin and Commander Smith.

As the three of you stood together awkwardly, listening to the local priest perform her last rites, you became aware of a slight shuffling sound behind you. Not wanting to be rude, you clasped your hands together and kept your eyes on the ground, feeling uneasy and apprehensive as the sound grew closer. Finally, the priest was done and the ceremony was over. Armin put his hand on your shoulder and you gave him a small smile. Commander Smith stepped forward to speak to the funeral serviceman and you decided it was a good time to take your leave. As you turned around, Armin’s grip on you tightened and you looked up to see Levi Ackerman standing behind you, holding his weight up by a crutch. A shiver shot up your spine as you drank him in, equal parts relieved to see him alive and healthy and furious about everything you had been through since the day at the tunnel.

You both stared at each other, neither one willing to speak first. _Fine,_ you decided. _If he doesn’t want to say anything then I’ll just leave._

“Armin, do you want to get something to eat? I’m starving,” you said, not taking your eyes off Levi. Armin nervously dropped his hand and stepped away from you, unsure of what was going to happen next. Exasperated, you took a step towards him and pulled his wrist, making it clear you wanted to go.

“Aria, please,” Levi said. You narrowed your eyes and pushed Armin forward, walking past him as gracefully as you could. “Come on, Aria, don’t do this.”

You felt Levi hold your wrist, his thumb catching on the gold bracelet you shouldn’t have worn, and you stopped. Taking a deep breath, you willed your heart to stop racing and pulled your arm out of his grasp, marching forward while trying not to get your heels stuck in the grass. Walking towards the parking lot, Armin followed alongside you until you were far enough to break down. It was embarrassing really, how much seeing him affected you. You didn’t know whether to scream or cry or both, so when Armin opened the passenger door for you, you gratefully slid into his car and let out a deep sigh.

“Do you want pizza?” Armin said as he hopped into the driver’s seat. You smiled at him and nodded your head.

Armin had been pleasant company for the rest of the day. He was careful to avoid the topics that he knew were affecting you, and instead entertained you with pictures Eren sent him from college and filling you in on upcoming gadgets that he thought were interesting. You nodded along to his explanation of his distaste towards a new cell phone design while trying to dissipate the tension that was coiled in your chest.

“I’m sorry about the other day,” you said hesitantly while Armin handed you a cup of coffee from the café you were sitting at. He smiled at you as he sat down in the seat opposite you.

“You don’t have to apologize, Aria. You were dealing with stuff, I’m sure you’re still going through it,” he said. Rolling your eyes, you took a sip of the drink through the straw.

“Why do you always have to be so nice,” you said. Armin laughed and set his drink down.

“I’m not sure how to answer that,” he responded. You propped your head on your hands as you watched the bustle of people walk by.

“I need a day off,” you murmured, shivering as a gust of wind flew by. “When this is all over, you and I are going to go out. We’ll take Petra and the squad, too.”  
  
Armin didn’t respond, he was focused on eating his scone without making a mess while you rambled on.

“Maybe we can find you a cute girl and set you up, for my entertainment purposes only, obviously,” you joked, glancing over at him. His face turned red and you both watched as the sweet treat crumble in his hands.

“We don’t have to do that,” he stuttered out. You turned your attention to him with a wide smile.

“Why Armin? Is there someone in your life that you’re not telling me about?” you asked. Armin brushed the crumbs off his suit jacket while avoiding eye contact with you. “There is, isn’t there? Who has captured our lovely blonde nerd’s attention? Does she work with us? Do I know her?”

Armin looked uncomfortable as you continued to assault him with questions. “No, you don’t know her. Even I barely know her. I met her online in a…you know what? The details don’t matter. I just know that I like her, even if I don’t know what she looks like.”

You smirked as you pulled another sip of your drink. “What if she’s like a 50 year old grandma who is catfishing you?”

“She’s not!” he said defensively. “I’ve talked to her before, her voice sounds young. And pleasant.”

“Oh man, Armin. You are down bad,” you laughed.

“Says you! Aren’t you the one going on little dates with your boss,” he cried out. You sat up straight, suddenly feeling all the jest in the conversation leave. “Shit, sorry.” Armin looked apologetic as you fidgeted with the drink in your hands.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s complicated,” you sighed. He nodded as if he understood and finished what was rest of the scone in silence.

After a couple more hours of meandering around, he dropped you home and made you promise to call him if you needed anything.

“You’re a good egg, Arlert,” you told him as you stepped out of his car. He blinked at you in confusion while you waved goodbye and headed into your apartment building.

~

Sunday morning came and went, and you were still laying in your pajamas in bed, dreading having to go to work the next day. At some point in the afternoon, you decided to drag yourself out of the bundle you had set yourself up in and clean your surroundings. An organized space would help you clear your mind and hopefully give you a fresh start on the week.

After a couple hours, you finished deep cleaning yourself and your apartment, feeling quite accomplished. Pouring yourself a glass of wine, you took a sip before draining the entire glass and opting for something stronger instead. After poking around your bar cart, you settled on a bottle of tequila you had bought yourself when you first moved in. You cut up a lime from your fridge and downed three shots with no hesitation. As the alcohol hummed through your veins, you finally felt a sense of calmness settle over you and you plopped down on the couch and relaxed. If you woke up with a hangover tomorrow, it would be worth it.

Another two shots later, it was getting dark outside and you decided you were done for the day. Your vision was getting slightly fuzzy and you felt your hands getting clumsier by the second. You were just about to put the bottle back on the cart when you heard a sharp knock on the door. Jolting back to your senses, you set the tequila down and walked nervously over to the door. Not bothering to look through the peephole, you pulled the door open and were shocked at the sight of Levi, once again at your door.

“Fuck no,” you slurred out, and moved to slam the door in his face. Unfortunately for you, he was fast, and before you could push the door closed, he stepped inside and shut it for you.

“We need to talk,” he said firmly, taking in the sight of you in your pajamas and damp hair. He looked impeccable as ever, dressed in a pair of dark slacks and a brown sweater. You knew you were supposed to be mad, and you were, but the alcohol was doing a good job of repressing it and making you feel another type of way.

“Levi, please understand when I tell you, I don’t want to talk to you,” you said, trying to usher him out before you made another mistake.

“I know you saw the tapes,” he said, placing his hands in his pockets and looking at you directly. You were taken aback. He wasn’t supposed to know that. “I had Agent Arlert set an alert if anyone accessed it.”

“You fucker,” you hissed, narrowing your eyes. _Ah, there it is. The anger is coming back._ “I had no choice. You left me in that tunnel with more questions than answers, and I had to go behind everyone’s back to get what I needed.”

“And what exactly was it that you needed, hm?” he said, crossing his arms. “I did what I had to do to solve the case. If my methods are unconventional for you, then next time you can choose another case.”

“Unconventional? You were consorting with the enemy! Next time, a little heads up would be nice!” you yelled. You felt like you were on fire, the alcohol fueling the rage in you.

“She wasn’t the enemy and you know that,” he said, choosing his words carefully. You were breathing hard, your hands coiled to prevent you from shaking. “She was just a pawn in a much bigger game.”

The way he spoke about Mikasa hurt more than you liked. So soft and gentle like she was someone special. “Yeah well now she’s dead,” you spat. For the first time you saw Levi flinch, only slightly, but it was enough to make you feel even shittier. “She’s dead because of me. So I’m sorry your little charity project failed.”

Levi scowled and took a step closer to you, but this time you didn’t move back. Somewhere in your alcohol ridden brain you felt brazen enough to take it. Maybe you deserved it. 

“Stop talking like that. Stop talking about her like that,” he growled, his face dangerously close to yours. You blinked and tried to focus on his face, but you knew your glassy eyes gave everything away.

“Make me,” you whispered. You were sure Levi was going to hurt you, or break something in your living room. Instead, his hands grabbed the sides of your face and tilted your head towards his and the next thing you knew he was smashing his lips on yours, kissing you with such urgency that you suddenly felt a little dizzy. You heard yourself let out a little whine as you relaxed your clenched hands and dropped them on your sides. You didn’t want to touch him, you didn’t deserve to touch him. _These are a killer’s hands._

In a flash you stepped back and put your arm up to distance yourself from him, panting as you tried to catch your breath. Levi’s eyes were wide as he studied you. Swaying slightly, you walked past him and into the kitchen, trying to get your head together but all you could think and see were anger, fear and panic. It was like you were back in the tunnel, letting your emotions get the best of you when you had seen Levi’s injured body on the ground.

“Aria,” he started. You whirled around and glared at him.

“No, don’t. _Don’t_. You can’t do that. Do you know how upset I was? When I saw them take you away and I found that stupid fucking bracelet on the ground? It wasn’t like I could chase you down in the ambulance and demand an explanation. It wasn’t like you could have given me one anyway! You did all this bullshit behind everyone’s back and I had to find out like this? That’s not fair, Levi,” you raged. You didn’t finish your thought, but it stung in the back of your throat anyway. _I thought I was special._

“Everything I said at the interview is true. I did it to get to the truth. Hange and Erwin were in on it too,” Levi explained. Your chest tightened a little. It hurt to know you were consciously left out of the group. “We didn’t know how to tell you after the threat. We didn’t…I didn’t want to scare you.”  
  
“You knew she wasn’t going to make good on it, Levi, so cut the bullshit,” you muttered.

“She’s an assassin for fuck’s sake. Who knows what she could have done. You think I wasn’t going crazy, waiting for her to make a move on you?” he said. You crossed your arms and leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Doesn’t matter anyway, you would have found out and sorted it out in the nick of time,” you said sarcastically.

“It’s not like she had a chance, not while you were out cozying up to our collateral every chance you got,” Levi muttered. It took you a second to put two and two together and you just about lost it.

“Really? Is that really what this is about?” you yelled, walking towards him. “This is about Eren?”

Levi couldn’t quite meet your eyes as you made your way to him. He didn’t resist as your hands pressed against his chest and you let your frustration control you. You pushed him back into the living room and ran your hands through your hair, trying to calm yourself down. Between your emotions coming to the surface and the tequila, you realized you no longer had much control over yourself, and you knew Levi sensed it, too.

“He needed a friend. A _friend,_ Levi. I was just trying to be a good agent,” you said. Levi sat down on your couch and leaned back, watching you.

“That’s not what the guards were saying,” he smirked as he settled himself in his seat.

You strode over to where Levi was sitting and stood over him, unsure about what you wanted to do. All you knew was that you were pissed and drunk and needy. Before you could consciously decide which emotion was going to take control, you found yourself climbing onto his lap and grabbing his face in your hands. Your eyes pierced his as you stared at him.

“Don’t tell me you believe that,” you whispered. Levi’s face was hot as he swallowed nervously. He tensed up underneath you as your hips settled on top of his. You searched his face to see if it was true, if he really thought so little of you. His eyes, grey and sharp, were resting on you, goading you to decide what you wanted to do. There was a moment’s hesitation before you fluttered your eyes closed and leaned forward. You kissed him slowly, feeling him finally relax in your hands as he traced your body from your hips to your thighs.

At that moment, something clicked in your head. You didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of having you, not when he knew you would choose him over and over again. Moving your hands off his face, you sat up and pushed against his biceps, forcing him to take his hands off of you. He looked up at you in confusion, but you kept quiet. As you tied your hair up, his eyes followed your motions in awe and he tried again to touch you.

“No,” you said firmly. Levi was taken aback, he seemed to have thought you were over being upset at him. He couldn’t have been farther from the truth. “What do you think Eren and I did in his room, Levi?”

You bent your head and placed a kiss behind his ear, not bothering to look at his reaction to your question. Levi jerked slightly, moving without discipline to your actions.

“Do you think I kissed him?” you whispered as you dropped your head lower, biting the skin between his neck and collarbone. He hissed in pain as you rolled the skin between your teeth.

“Do you think I fucked him?” you teased, placing your hand under his chin and pushing his head up, planting kisses on every piece of exposed skin you could find. You stroked his neck with your thumb and swept your fingers through his undercut, letting him feel you control him.

“Aria, please,” he whispered. You smiled to yourself as you made your way back to his lips. You were kissing him leisurely, slowly grinding your hips on his as you took his face in your hands again. He groaned in pleasure and you felt him harden against you. The notion of him coming apart in your hands was enough to send you over the edge right there, but since you had him where you wanted, you decided to relish it.

You let your hands slide down his chest and toyed with the hem of his sweatshirt, pushing your body against him until he was flush with the back of the couch. Pushing it up his stomach with one hand, your fingers traced the scar on his abdomen that was now fully healed. Not wanting to think about the events that led to it, you tugged the sweater high as Levi raised his arms so you could pull the top over his head. He tried to mimic the same actions on you, but you didn’t let him. If you were going to undress, he would have no choice but to sit there and watch you do it. Making your way back to his mouth, your hands explored every nook and cranny of Levi’s exposed chest, enjoying the feeling of his toned body under your fingertips. You felt powerful, but you weren’t satisfied yet.

Stepping off the couch, you took your time to strip off your pajamas, only to realize you hadn’t bothered putting on a bra after showering early. _Oh well, one less thing to worry about._ Levi seemed entranced as you unbuckled his belt for him, almost completely naked.

“Off,” you ordered, waiting for him to take his pants off until the two of were separated by just your underwear. You could feel the effects of the tequila wearing off, but you soldiered on, too turned on by the idea of taking Levi all on your own. Straddling him again, you let him touch you, finally, as he ghosted his fingers up your spine and into your hair. Feeling him touch your sensitive skin, you threw your head back and pushed your chest into his face. Immediately, he kissed your breasts, working your body until you couldn’t take it anymore.

Pushing the fabric aside, your hands fumbled around until you were both free, stopping only to make eye contact with Levi for affirmation before sitting up and slowly sinking yourself onto him. Levi let out a low growl, biting his lip as he watched you take him in. It felt heavenly, and you had to put your hands on his shoulders to brace yourself as you slowly moved against him, letting the friction build a new fire in your chest, one that warmed your entire body with such feeling and emotion, you weren’t sure if you would be able to handle it.

You were both panting, completely in the moment as Levi watched you enjoy yourself on him, not letting him do anything. This was for you alone. As you reached your climax, you looked down on him, cheeks flushed and said, “Don’t ever underestimate me again, Captain. Do you understand?” Levi only nodded, his voice was low and breathy as he grunted in your ear. You knew he was close, too, as you increased your rhythm until the both of you were moaning each other’s names in pleasure.

“Fuck Aria, I’m gonna-,” Levi said breathlessly. You hopped off him and got down on your knees, finishing what you started.

After, you wanted nothing more than to cuddle in his lap and bask in the afterglow of what you had just done, but your ego got the best of you as you pushed yourself off him and began putting your clothes back on. Levi just sat there, fucked stupid, watching you before realizing that this was his cue to leave.

“This doesn’t change anything,” you said, pulling your t-shirt over your head. And why would it? It’s not like he knew your true feelings towards him, you had barely figured it out for yourself.

Slowly, he got up and put his trousers and sweater on. As he clasped his belt, he looked up at you through the fringe of his hair and smirked. “Whatever you say, Reader. See you at work tomorrow.” He walked himself out, leaving you feeling confused as ever.

You fell asleep almost instantly, still reeling at what you had just done. Whether it was under the influence of the liquid courage or your anger and guilt that had been piling up, this was not how you were expecting your day would go. Despite getting your fill of Levi, you hoped that he had taken your words into account, and that tomorrow you would be able to work with him without any more secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please drop a comment or any feedback!


	8. fairytale

You spent next couple of days working alongside Hange and her assistant, Moblit, compiling all of the evidence and putting them up in the evidence room. It had been exhausting running around with her, working overtime to ensure everything was neatly categorized and stored away. You were constantly finding yourself in awe of Moblit, wondering how he kept up with Hange without complaint, but the two of them worked so well together it was only natural for him to match her energy. After alphabetically organizing the last of the reports in her cabinet, you stood up and stretched, ready for your comfy bed, a glass of wine and a trashy television show.

“Thank you so much for your assistance this week, Aria!” Moblit exclaimed as you both packed up your things. “You’ve been a huge help.”  
  
“Of course, no problem,” you responded, smiling over at him. He waved at you before jogging off to catch up with Hange, who was just about to walk out the door. You watched them leave side by side, admiring the odd pair that they made. As you shut off the lights, you glanced around the room one more time to make sure everything was secure before heading out the door yourself. While walking towards the elevator, your phone buzzed in your pocket. You pulled it out, wondering who would be calling you so late in the day.

“Hello?” you answered, holding the phone up with your shoulder as you pushed the elevator button.

“Ariaaaaa!!!” you heard someone yell out. “Hello super spy Aria!!!”

You looked at your phone, confused, and saw that the caller ID was from Armin. You heard a slight shuffling noise before someone else spoke.

“Hey, Aria! It’s me, Armin,” he said cheerfully. “Eren’s just super drunk right now, but he begged me to call you over. Are you free to grab some drinks with us?”

“After the day I’ve had I definitely deserve a drink. Send me your location, I’m leaving the office right now,” you said, stepping into the elevator.

“Sounds good, see you soon!” he said before hanging up. You suddenly felt a little nervous at the idea of seeing Eren again. Considering the fact that the last time you were with him, he was snuggled up against you in a holding room as bait and that just a few nights ago Levi had accused you of sleeping with him. You felt a slight pang in your heart at the thought of Levi, but you shook it out of your head. Since that night in your apartment, you had only seen him in passing since he was busy both fielding the press and running meetings with higher ups. You were hoping to have some semblance of a normal conversation with him, now that all the cards were on the table, but Hange had kept you in her clutches all week.

As you walked out the building, you glanced at yourself in the floor to ceiling windows, hoping your black jeans and dark blue sweater were good enough to score you some free drinks at the bar. _Meh, worst case I’ll make Armin pay._ You hailed a taxi and settled in as the driver took you to the little pub Armin had directed you to.

After paying your fare, you elbowed your way past the hordes of people watching a cricket match on the television. You spotted Armin’s yellow blonde hair in a booth and waved at him to get his attention. He caught your eye and smiled at you, patting the seat next to him that he had saved for you. As you slid into the bench, you looked up at Eren, who had returned to the table with three beers on a tray. Immediately, you could tell he was already a few drinks in; his eyes were glazed over and cheeks red. He set the tray down sloppily, causing the foam to spill over and he flopped himself onto the bench parallel to you. When he saw you sitting next to Armin, you could have sworn you saw his eyes light up.

“She’s here!” he cheered. You smiled at him in greeting and gingerly took a sip of the beer.

“I didn’t know what you would like, so if you want anything else let me know,” Armin said, clinking his glass with yours before bringing it to his lips.

“Big spender here, huh,” you teased. Armin rolled his eyes and put his drink down. You and Eren shared a glance before busting out in laughter at the sight of the foam mustache on Armin’s upper lip. He looked at the two of you, completely bewildered.

“What? What is it?” he asked. You were still cracking up as you took a napkin and patted his face clean. Armin blushed as he watched you help him, which caused you to laugh even more.

“Oh man, Armin. No wonder you’ve settled for an internet girlfriend. God knows what would happen if you met her in person,” you said, setting the napkin back on the table. Eren’s eyes went wide.

“You told her?” he asked. You frowned. _Since when did Eren know about Armin’s love life? Or lack thereof, actually._

“Um, obviously!” you said, suddenly defensive. “You think loverboy here would get a girlfriend and I wouldn’t know? I’m stuck with him like a hundred hours a day!”

“Actually, there’s only twenty four hou-“ Armin started to corrected you. Both you and Eren said simultaneously “Shut up, Armin!”

“Anyways, they’re not even dating yet, just talking. My man has been asking me for tips, so I’m sure it’s going to be official any day now,” Eren grinned over the rim of his glass. You rolled your eyes.

“Oh please, with your game? She’s better off not talking to him at all,” you scoffed. Eren scowled as he took a gulp of his beer. “It only took me about five minutes to get you to want me, and we spoke all of ten words that day.”

“In my defense, you were all over me,” he retorted. You took another sip of your beer and looked him dead in the eye.

“I was working a case, Eren. You were just being you. Like I said, no game,” you quipped. Eren glared at you as Armin put his hands in the center of the table.

“Guys, please,” he said. You both looked over at him.

“Okay, settle this then! Did Eren’s pick up lines help you out at all?” you challenged. Eren opened his mouth to protest, but you put up your hand in his face, waiting for Armin to answer. Armin looked nervously between the two of you before picking up his glass and mumbling into it.

“What was that?” you said, cupping your ear with your hand. “Did you say no? Huh, looks like I was right after all.” You gave Eren a triumphant smile as he fumed into his drink.

The three of you went through a few more rounds of drinks for the next couple of hours. You enjoyed the feeling of letting loose and having a laugh with your new friends, despite the fact that this was the oddest trio to be out on a Wednesday night. The boss you hated but grew to admire and respect as well as the college douchebag you kidnapped but are now on good terms with. _Shit’s weird, but it’s a good weird,_ you realized.

Eventually, you decided to call it a night. You all closed your tabs and headed out into the chilly night, ready to part ways. While waiting for a cab, your phone rang again and you stepped aside to answer it.

“Hello?” you asked, slurring a tad bit. The phone screen was too blurry for you to see who was calling.

“Agent Reader, I’m so sorry to call this late,” a gruff voice said. Your eyes flew open the moment you realized it was Commander Smith who was calling you. 

“It’s no problem, sir,” you chattered out, shivering in the cold. “Just don’t tell me someone else died, okay? I’m not sure I would be able to handle it.” You clapped a hand over your mouth to keep you from saying anymore nonsense. “Shit, I’m sorry, sir. I have to admit that I’ve been drinking a bit.”

You heard him chuckle on the other end, and you felt relieved that he wasn’t going to chew you out for your offhand comment. “About that, I actually just got notice that there is a reading tomorrow for Mikasa Ackerman’s final will and testament. It seems as your presence is required.”

Your heart stopped momentarily as you digested the information. “Why do you always have to deliver the bad news? You’re Pavloving me into not wanting to ever speak to you again.”

He laughed again. “Unfortunately, I won’t be in the office tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure you were aware as soon as I was. I’ve sent an invite to your calendar with the time and location, if that’s okay.”

You were keenly aware of Eren and Armin staring at you, wondering who you were on the phone with for so long. “Yes, of course. Thank you, sir. Have a good night.”

“You too, Reader. Although it seems like I may have blemished it a bit. I apologize,” Commander Smith said, a hint of remorse in his voice. You shook your head vehemently, not realizing that he couldn’t see you.

“Ah, it is what it is,” you said. “Good night, sir.”

You hung up the phone and walked back over to the two men, flashing them a broad smile to hide the despair you were feeling inside. Eren had his arm around Armin, using him to hold himself up. You looked up at the two of them as you got closer.

“What was that about?” Armin asked, looking worried. You glanced over at the inebriated Eren and quietly shook your head.

“Just work stuff,” you lied. “I’m gonna be a little late coming in tomorrow, okay? If I wake up hungover, it’s all gonna be your fault,” you joked as you reached over to flick Eren’s nose. He let out a little laugh as he struggled to stand up straight.

As the three of you parted ways in your separate taxis, you trudged up the stairs to your apartment, feeling dizzy and very thirsty. After taking care of yourself, you tucked into your bed and immediately fell asleep, thankful for the alcohol that clouded your thoughts and pushed your uneasiness for tomorrow morning away.

~

You woke up early the next morning, feeling parched. After chugging a couple glasses of water, you headed into the shower and let the hot steam clear your mind. You dressed in the most professional outfit you owned-a simple black blazer and black trousers with a chiffon button up underneath. After putting in your contact lenses and applying some make up, you looked at yourself in the mirror, deliberating on how to style your hair. After some pondering, you walked over to your dresser and pulled out the Vixen’s signature hairpin. After rolling your hair into a bun you slipped it in to keep the hair in place and admired yourself. It was ironic, really, but after everything you’d been through, it was worth having the last laugh.

While you sitting in the taxi on the way to the courthouse, you tried to understand what it was you were needed for anyway. Mikasa Ackerman’s life had nothing to do with you except for the fact that you were the one who ended it, so why were you summoned for this meeting in the first place? The anticipation and dread were building up as you walked up the steps of the building, and you shouldered the strap of your work bag to keep yourself grounded. Before stepping inside, the security guards inspected your belongings and sent you through the metal detector which beeped profusely as you walked through. They began patting down your body before you realized it was probably the hairpin. _What was I thinking, wearing this here of all places?_ You showed them the offending item and they looked at it in confusion before shrugging their shoulders and letting you in anyway.

The receptionist led you to a small conference room inside the busy floor, knocking on the door once before swinging it open to let you through. You thanked her and stepped inside, taking a seat at the end of the table. About five minutes passed when the door opened again, and this time it was Levi who walked in. You automatically stood up as he walked around the room before settling into the seat in front of you. Feeling foolish, you smoothened your slacks and sat back down.

“What are you doing here,” you muttered. Levi folded his hands on the table and looked at you with a smug look on his face that you wished you could punch away.

“I could ask you the same question, Agent,” he responded, idly examining his fingernails. You rolled your eyes and pulled out your phone, not wanting to engage in an arguing match on the weirdest morning of your life. In an attempt to ignore him, you passed the time scrolling through social media, trying to keep your eyes from straying back to his face.

Eventually, the door swung open again and two tall men walked in, dressed in expensive looking suits, followed by a shorter, older man who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. The oldest took a seat at the head of the table and the other two sat on either side of him, leaving one chair between yourself and Levi.

“Greetings everyone. I am Nicholas Wagner, the assigned executor to read Mikasa Ackerman’s last will and testament today,” he said. “Accompanying me are Porco and Marcel Galliard, who have been entrusted to deliver any notable items mentioned today.”

You glanced nervously at the men, who seemed to be siblings. They were big and strong and very much intimidating, and you still were confused as to what purpose they served.

“So today I am to be meeting a one Aria Reader as well as Erwin Smith? Are they both present?” he asked, looking up at you. You raised your hand in greeting and he nodded in your direction.

“Unfortunately, Commander Smith will not be joining us today, I am here as his proxy,” Levi spoke up in a bored voice, not bothering to pry his eyes away from his hands. The two brothers exchanged a glance before looking down at Levi.

“We were told to expect Mr. Smith,” one of them said. For some reason, they looked angry, as if Levi had offended them somehow. He finally looked up and pulled out a sealed envelope from his bag and slid it down the table to Mr. Wagner.

“He is currently out of town on business and has legally appointed me to be here. This is the notarized letter, if you’d like to take a look,” he explained. There was a moment’s hesitation before one the brothers reached forwards and swiped the letter off the table, tearing it open and reading it.

“No, this is not what were told. Where is Smith?” he growled. Mr. Wagner shrank back in his seat and you sat up, suddenly feeling the atmosphere shift. The other brother shot a glance at his sibling, almost like a warning. Before you knew it, the Galliard brother closest to Levi lunged out of his seat and towards your Captain, hands outstretched as if he wanted to hurt him. You sprang out of your chair as Levi maneuvered out of his way and punched him in the chest, sending him flying back into the chair. You covered your mouth with your hands in shock, and in a split second you saw the other brother come for you out of the corner of your eye. You ducked under the table to avoid his swing and began crawling your way to the other side of the room. You heard several things crash and break as Levi continued to fight the men, but something sparked in you that called you to fight back instead of leaving Levi unattended. Using your phone, you sent out a distress call back to the office, hoping someone from the Levi Squad would respond. You pulled yourself back onto your feet and ran towards the mayhem.

Hoping to catch one off guard, you pulled the pin out of your hair and activated the needle. Despite knowing there was no poison left in the decanter, you hoped the pain would be enough to stun one of them so you could take him out. Taking a chance, you raised your hand and stabbed Porco in the neck, throwing all your weight on top of him. He instantly brought his hand to the injury, howling in pain. You took advantage of his momentary weakness and kicked him down, twisting him arm behind his back so it was rendered useless. He tried to fight back as you pushed your knee between his shoulder blades, trying to force him to stay still. With your free hand, you undid your belt from your trousers and used it to make a makeshift set of handcuffs. Stepping back to admire your work, you blew your hair out of your face and kicked him again in the head, just for good measure.

With one brother down for the count, you looked up to see that Levi had punched Marcel unconscious and was standing over his unmoving body, breathing hard. You both stared at each other, trying to catch your breath and you felt the adrenaline coursing through you, making you feel on top of the world. Stepping over the incapacitated bodies, you made your way over to Levi and kissed him, wrapping your arms around his neck and leaning into him completely. To your surprise, he kissed you back, placing his hands gently on your lower back and groaning as you pushed against his body. There was the sound of someone clearing their throat and the two of you broke apart to see Mr. Wagner standing uncomfortably behind his chair, which he had used to shield himself.

Within seconds, the door flew open and several MI6 agents stormed in wearing full gear, raising their rifles and searching the room for any foes. Immediately, you put your hands in the air and flashed your badge.

“He’s innocent,” you shouted, hoping they wouldn’t get the wrong idea of poor Mr. Wagner, who was just trying to do his job. Two agents properly handcuffed the Galliard brothers and hauled them away, presumably back to MI6 headquarters for interrogation. Once the room was secured, Levi led you out, placing a steadying hand on the small of your back as you made your way through the squad and out the building.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he watched you sink to the floor. You were shaking slightly, the cold air returning you to your senses as you tried to process what just happened.

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?” you asked, tying your hair up against the wind. “That’s why Erwin sent you instead of him.”

“Nothing gets past you, does it,” Levi said, a small smile tugging at his lips as he settled down on the stairs next to you.

“I’ve just learned to expect some secret reason behind everything from you,” you said bitterly, bringing your knees to your chest. “I didn’t think the Marleyans would be so bold, though. Showing face like this, it’s absurd. Did they think they could kill us in broad daylight and no one would bat an eye? Ridiculous.”

“Their whole organization crumbled within a matter of days, Reader. They’re desperate,” he responded bluntly. “I didn’t know what they had planned, but when Erwin told me that you were going to be there, I could only assume.”

You looked up at him, squinting against the sunlight. He was gazing at the street ahead, watching the cars go by.

“I just wanted to make sure you would be okay,” he muttered. “Is that something you can believe?”

Your chest tightened at his admission. _Is that what Levi looks like when he cares?_ “Well you did save my ass out there, so I guess you leave me with no choice. And I’m sorry, by the way, for kissing you like that. I should have been more careful.”

You dropped your gaze back down to your entwined hands that were wrapped around your legs as Levi turned to look at you again. “Don’t be,” he whispered.

You felt your face burn at his comment and you kept your head down between your knees to hide the smile that was growing. After a few moments of silence, Levi’s phone began to ring and he dug around in his pockets to answer it.

“Captain Ackerman,” he said, back to his usual professional self. “Yes Hange, we’re fine.” There was a pause as Director Hange responded. “No, I didn’t kill them, don’t be stupid. Get over here and do your damn job.”

He hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair before getting back up on his feet. He walked over to you and held out his hand to help you up. You took it and stood back up, brushing the dirt off your pants and blazer.

“Time to go, the cavalry’s on its way,” he said, turning to make his way back up the steps before you could respond. You watched his fit body move gracefully as he walked away from you, feeling a little bit light headed from his simple but sweet words that were not pairing well with your rising attraction to him. Letting out a deep sigh, you trudged up the stairs after him, wondering what was in store for you next.

~

It turned out that there wasn’t much needed from you, after all. After a few rounds of interrogations as a witness, Hange let you go home early and you turned on your heel and ran out of the courthouse as fast as you could. She told you that the whole thing had been a set up to take out the Agents directly involved in the downfall of the Marleyans. The idea that there were still active Marleyans who were plotting your downfall made you uneasy, but you pushed the thought away before it could eat at you anymore. You spent the rest of the day in bed, exhausted, only getting up to eat and to shower.

The next morning a cheerful Petra knocked at your office door, startling everyone. You had been busy fixing a busted cable that someone brought in earlier and didn’t notice her at the door until Armin nudged you.

“Hey, Agent Reader! We’re having a quick meeting upstairs if you’re free, care to join us?” she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. You smiled at her and nodded, grateful to be pulled away from the dull, menial tasks you had been doing all morning. As the two of you walked into the elevator, to your surprise, she pushed the button for the ground floor instead of the 37th. You looked her quizzically, but she kept her mouth shut in a mischievous smile. As she dragged you out of the headquarters building, you decided that the suspense had gone on long enough.

“Alright missy, what are we doing?” you asked as she unlocked a car in the parking garage. She pulled the door open and motioned for you to get inside. You raised an eyebrow before ducking into the vehicle. She was still secretive throughout the drive, singing along loudly to the music blasting from the radio and chatting with you about some office gossip she had heard this week. Finally, she pulled up to a small strip of stores that featured boutiques and tailor shops.

“Dress shopping?” you asked as you stepped out of the car. Petra’s smile was infectious and you giggled as she pulled you inside one of the stores. “Petra, what are we doing here?”

“Haven’t you heard? We’re having an awards ceremony this weekend!” she explained. You tilted your head to the side, still not sure if you had heard her properly.

“Awards ceremony?” you echoed. She nodded enthusiastically, explaining that the Chief was giving everyone on the task force an award for their hard work on the case, and it was to be a fabulous affair.

“How fabulous are we talking, because I’m used to shitty banquets in the party room of an Applebee’s,” you joked. Now it was Petra’s turn to look confused and shook your head as you realized the joke went over her head. “Anyways, we have to wear a dress?”

“Yep, I think we deserve to wear a fancy little number after all the shit we went through, don’t you think?” she asked, thumbing through the many beautiful gowns on display. The shopkeeper approached the two of you and guided you through the process of finding the right material and color. You looked around the room, amazed at all the options and were feeling a little bit overwhelmed.

Petra bounded over to you, already carrying a handful of pieces in her arms, ready to try them on. Sitting outside the fitting room, you waited for her to showcase her options when a flash of green caught your eye. Picking up the dress, you admired the satin fabric and deep emerald green color, wondering if it would fit you the way you wanted. After a moment of hesitation, you motioned to the shopkeeper that you were ready to try it on.

Inside the fitting room, you stripped off your clothes and pulled the dress over your head, already enjoying the feeling of the cool satin on your bare skin. Pulling the zipper closed, you smoothed out the dress and looked at yourself in the mirror. _Damn, I look good,_ you realized, toying with the thin straps that lay on your shoulders. There was a bit more exposure on the chest area than you would have liked, but it was something you were willing to overlook as you admired the way the dress clung to your body in all the right places.

Petra called out from the adjacent room, ready to show you her dress. As you both stepped out at the same time, you looked at her in awe. She had chosen a baby pink piece that was embroidered with little reflective beads on the neckline. Her dress was strapless, letting her short hair rest on her bare shoulders.

“Wow Aria,” she gushed. “You look amazing!” You ducked your head, feeling a little self-conscious.

“As do you Petra. I love this color on you,” you said, reaching out to smooth a wrinkle on her dress.

You both paid for your outfits and thanked the shopkeeper profusely, feeling excited to show off the dresses at the upcoming banquet.

~

On Saturday morning you woke up bright and early, happy to have an excuse to get dressed up. Petra was coming over to get ready with you in the afternoon, so you spent the morning taking meticulous care of your body in the shower and washing your hair. After changing into some comfortable clothes, you scoured your room for some nail polish and got to work. Once your nails were dry, you blow dried your hair and set the dress out on your bed, trying to decide what heels to wear with it. You wanted to wear something practical, and since you didn’t own any stilettos, you settled on a trusty pair of black platformed heels.

Sasha had called you earlier that morning, squealing about the news that you had a hand in solving her cold case. After catching up with her, you felt insanely better, not even realizing how much you had missed her bubbly presence in your life. When you had told her about finding a new friend in Petra, she teased you about making sure she didn’t replace Sasha as your best friend status. You had rolled your eyes and promised her no such thing would happen.

A couple hours later Petra knocked on the door, dress in one hand and a giant bag of crap in the other.

“Petra, what is all this?” you asked, laughing as you closed the door behind her. She turned to you with a sad expression on her face.

“I couldn’t pick what jewelry to wear, so I just brought everything that I own,” she admitted. She began setting her things up on your dining table.

After finishing your hair and makeup, you slipped into your dress and had Petra help you with the zipper. Adding some accessories, you pulled on your heels and decided that you were ready. Petra insisted on clicking a few photos of you on the balcony of your apartment and you enjoyed the process more than you thought you would. As Petra packed her things away, all dolled up in her pink dress, you went back to your room and pulled out the gold bracelet Levi had given you and put it on. Admiring the way it sat delicately on your wrist, you felt a slight tug in your chest at the prospect of him seeing you like this.

The banquet was being held at a fancy hotel, and as Petra paid the fare, you stepped out of the taxi looking at the establishment in awe. The grand white architecture stood out against the night sky and you felt more or less like a princess.

“Good thing we don’t have to leave when the clock strikes midnight, right?” you joked, as Petra slid her arm into yours. You both walked up the steps and into the banquet hall, flashing your badges to the guard outside the door.

Whoever planned the event had outdone themselves. The room was lit with several strings of pleasant lights, complete with matching maroon and gold accents. The tables had assigned seating and you were glad to find yourself sandwiched between Petra and Armin, who was already at his place. You waved to him shyly as you sat down.

“Armin you look so handsome,” you said, admiring his grey suit. He really had cleaned up for the event; his signature blonde hair was combed over neatly, and the lighting brought out his big blue eyes. He looked at you in shock, not recognizing you for a moment.

“Who are you and what have you done to Aria!” he joked. You smacked his arm as you laughed with him. A waiter approached with a tray of champagne flutes and you gladly accepted one. The next half hour went by in pleasant conversation as you waited for everyone to arrive. Despite yourself, you kept throwing glances at the door waiting for your Captain to walk in, but to your dismay he hadn’t shown up yet. _Is he planning to come at all?_

The door swung open again and you looked up, hopeful. Instead, you were surprised to see Eren walk in, looking crisp in a navy blue button up and black trousers. His hair was getting longer, you realized, and he had parted it down the middle and let the brown locks fall on either side of his face. Armin sat up and waved to him and you realized that the empty seat that was next to him was meant for Eren this whole time. He strode over to your table, and sat down, exchanging greetings with the other Special Agents. Eld and Gunther shook his hand, congratulating him.

“Damn Eren, you’ve been working out!” Olou exclaimed as Eren flexed his biceps under the dress shirt. You rolled your eyes as he smirked, looking over at you.

“Not much else to do these days, and if I’m gonna be like one of you guys then I definitely need to catch up,” he said. The three of them guffawed at his bold statement but you were too busy trying to understand what he had just said.

“One of them? What does that mean?” you asked, glancing over at Armin to confirm your theory. Eren looked at you, focus and determination clear in his turquoise eyes.

“I changed my major,” he proclaimed. “I’m going to finish my degree in Criminology and then get recruited as an agent here.”

You frowned, unsure where this sudden change of attitude came from. “Eren, are you sure? I mean, aren’t you a junior? Won’t your credits hold you back a year?”

“I already worked it all out, Aria. Don’t worry, this time next year I’ll be a super agent like you,” he joked, not quite meeting your eyes anymore as he took a sip from his champagne glass. More questions bubbled inside you, but you bit your tongue and kept quiet for his sake. Interrogating him publicly in front of people he admired wouldn’t accomplish anything, so you resolved to have a conversation with him about it later.

At that point, the lights dimmed and a spotlight illuminated a makeshift podium in the front of the room. You blinked your eyes to adjust to the light as an older man in a suit that was far too small for him took the stage. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honor to host such accomplished agents here tonight, celebrating the closing of a high profile case. You have all done a tremendous service to Great Britain, and we hope that you all enjoy the rest of the evening.”

He handed his microphone off to Chief Pixis, who was wearing his old dress blues from his time in the British army. He cleared his throat while regarding the room and you briefly imagined him trimming his bushy mustache before coming to the event, which caused you to start giggling. Armin shot you an angry look and you ducked your head and stifled your laughter into your napkin.

“Good evening all. Thank you for coming here tonight. I will try my best to keep this brief so we can enjoy the dinner and drinks we are all looking forward to. That being said, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who put in an incredible amount of time and effort into taking down the Marleyan Terrorist Organization. I am lucky to work with talented agents. I would now like to invite Commander Erwin Smith to deliver our plaques of achievement to his team,” he said. He stepped back and you watched Erwin walk up to him, shaking his hand and taking the microphone. Commander Smith was wearing a cerulean blue suit, complete with a white button up and black neck tie. You were taken aback by this outfit choice; it looked good but it wasn’t something you imagined he would pick for himself.

“Alright, let us begin. The first award of the night goes to my right hand man, Captain Levi Ackerman, for his bravery and quick thinking that allowed us to take down both the Vixen and her handler, Zeke Yeager,” he announced. Your breath caught in your throat as you finally saw him walking up the side of the room as he buttoned his suit jacket. He had gone simple; black blazer, black slacks and his usual crisp white shirt, complete with a tucked handkerchief in his collar. You knew you were staring but you couldn’t help it. Armin reached over and jokingly pushed your lower jaw upwards, closing your mouth. Feeling embarrassed, you looked down at your dress and fidgeted with the napkin in your lap. There was applause from the other agents in the room as he accepted the award and immediately he stepped off the podium and walked back around. No speech, no thank yous, just as you expected. As he made his way closer to your table, he caught your eye and clenched his jaw when he caught sight of your dress. You felt your cheeks start to burn as you took a sip from your glass, not wanting to pay him any more attention than necessary.

Commander Smith then called up Petra, Eld, Gunther and Oluo, and the group of them made their way up and shook his hand as he handed out the plaques individually. Petra was sparkling under the spotlight, and her smile was radiant as ever. As she thanked everyone for their applause, the three agents outstretched their arms in her direction, as if showing her off. Everyone broke out into laughter as she realized what they were doing, and after that they left the stage and returned back to the table.

“Next, I would like to invite our Forensics Director Zoe Hange to the stage, as well as Agent Moblit Berner,” Commander Smith said. Hange strutted up, arm in arm with Moblit, her tall figure dressed in a suit as well. Her brown hair was still up in her signature ponytail and she opted for thin gold specs instead of her usual field glasses. She looked stunning and you realized that this was probably the most put together you had ever seen her. They both smiled broadly as they took their plaques and walked back to their seats.

“Now I would like to bring our technical analyst, Agent Aria Reader, up. She was pivotal in taking down the assassin, and we couldn’t have done any of this without her,” he said, looking your direction. Your heart was hammering in your chest as you stood up, carefully trying not to step on the hem of your dress. Everyone at your table was cheering for you and you gave them an embarrassed smile as you pushed your seat in and walked up to the Commander. You smiled at him and thanked him, shaking his hand as you posed for the picture. Almost instinctively, you were searching for the familiar piercing grey eyes in the crowd, but the floodlights were too bright for you to see anyone. After accepting the plaque, you gathered your skirt in one hand and strode back over to your seat, letting out a deep breath. Your cheeks were hot and you felt very exposed; you didn’t always find yourself being shown off in front of a crowd of people you didn’t know, but it felt good to be appreciated. After flipping your hair over your shoulders, you fanned your face to cool down as the Commander continued his speech.

“There was one other gentleman who helped us. His bravery and dignity are to be commended and I am extremely thankful for his cooperation during the last couple of months. Eren Yeager, please come on up,” he said. Gunther wolf whistled as Eren stood up, running his hand through his hair. You were smiling and cheering for him while he walked up to Erwin and shook his hand heartily. He was beaming, cheeks red and eyes sparkling as he took his award and made his way back to the table.

“Without this team we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what we did. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to this organization. Enjoy the rest of your evening everyone,” he concluded. The lights switched back to normal and the DJ began playing his music louder. Several waiters came in with food and began serving everyone. You tucked into a plate of roast duck with vegetables as the chatter continued around you.

After dinner, the plates were cleared and people began milling around, networking with other agents from different departments. You were standing in a cluster of junior agents who wanted to meet Eren for themselves, drinking a cocktail and scouting potential transfers with Armin.

“What about him?” you asked, pointing at a broad shouldered man who looked about your age. “He could join us, I can train him myself.”

“Agent Kirstein? Nah, he’s too hot headed to work in our shop, he definitely will want to work under Captain Ackerman or someone like that,” Armin said, looking in his direction.

“Damn,” you said. “Maybe we’ll have to recruit from elsewhere.” Your eyes were still roaming around the room when you felt a hand press on to your lower back. You looked up to see Eren talking to someone enthusiastically.

“Yeah, it was all because of her,” he was saying. “She basically went undercover and-“

“What are you doing,” you whispered, frantically looking around to see if anyone had noticed his actions.

“What?” Eren said, waving his glass in the air. “I was just telling them about the time you basically kidnapped me.”

Eren was drunk, you could tell, but that wasn’t the issue. You sucked in a breath the moment you saw your Captain, talking with a group of higher ups you didn’t recognize, nursing a glass of dark liquor and staring at you with a burning fury. He narrowed his eyes as he honed in on Eren’s hand that was resting on your dress. Turning your attention back to Eren, you made a quick excuse to leave.

“I’m gonna use the ladies’ room, if you’ll excuse me,” you said, stepping out of Eren’s reach. You made your way out the door and into the hallway, trying to even your breathing in the cool air. A few moments later, the door swung open again and Levi walked out, his hand free of his drink. He walked over to you and grabbed your hand, pulling you down the hall.

“Levi, let go of me,” you said harshly. He ignored you and pulled the door open, leading you into a fully furnished powder room. Locking the door behind him, he pulled you in and kissed you, pushing you back towards the counter. You kissed him back, wrapping your arm around his neck as you dropped your purse on the ground. You could taste the bourbon on his mouth, and your pulse raced in excitement. Levi unbuttoned his jacket and shrugged it off, tossing it to the side before grabbing your face. You broke the kiss and looked at him, your eyes staring into his longingly.

“We can’t do this, not here,” you whispered. He was looking at you without any restraint, thumbing the straps of your dress.

“You look so fucking good, Aria. And to have him touch you before I do? No fucking way,” he snarled before kissing you again. He grabbed your hips and pushed you on top of the counter, gathering the material of your dress and bunching it at your thighs. A small voice in the back of your head warned you not to let the satin crease, but you didn’t care. He was kissing your neck now and you threw your head back in pure ecstasy, opening your legs to bring him closer to you.

“Oh the things I want to do to you,” he whispered, moving his mouth towards your chest as his hands slid up your thighs. You locked your ankles around his back, careful not to hurt him with the weight of your heels.

“Don’t leave any marks, please,” you said, unable to catch your breath as Levi continued to relish your body. His hands slid in between your legs, rubbing lazy circles over your underwear. Your hips involuntarily twitched at his contact, and you realized that you were already wet and wanting. Slipping his hands into your underwear, he pleasured you with his fingers, watching you lose yourself in his motions.

Unable to take it anymore, Levi pulled his hand out and slid the fabric off your legs before unbuttoning his own trousers. From his pocket, he pulled out a condom and you watched him roll it onto his hard and wanting dick. He pressed a kiss onto your lips before easing himself in and you moaned in pleasure, feeling him reach the most unknown parts of you. He placed a hand over your mouth, muffling your noises so that no one would hear you. He began thrusting into you, pushing your body against the mirrored wall as you grabbed his shoulders to steady yourself. It felt too good, the way he set the rhythm that rocked you to your core. He pushed your dress up higher to grab your bare ass, pressing hard enough for it to hurt as he continued to rut into you.

You looked down at your entwined bodies, not being able to tell where you ended and he began as you slid your hands up his neck and into his hair, gripping it so tightly you knew it was hurting him, but you didn’t care. You were both in complete sync, bodies on fire and as it burned, you felt yourself tense up before achieving total bliss. Levi cursed as he finished, leaning his weight onto you as he caught his breath.

There was a sudden knock at the door and you heard Eren’s voice coming through from the other side, causing you and Levi to jump apart.

“Aria? Are you in there? Armin sent me to tell you that they’re serving dessert,” he said. Levi’s scowl returned to his face as he pulled his pants up and buckled his belt. Still shaking, you slid off the counter and adjusted your dress. You could tell he was upset, so you put your hand on his cheek and kissed him slowly, letting it make up for all the words you wanted to say. _Can’t you see that I’m yours?_

Clearing your throat, you called out to Eren. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute!” Turning to look at yourself in the mirror, you were surprised that Levi had done minimal damage. Combing your hair with your fingers, you adjusted the curls back into place and rummaged through your purse to reapply your lip gloss. Levi watched you in the mirror, his eyes focused on the pout of your lips that were now shiny and plump. You let out a small laugh and snapped the bag shut before turning back to him. As you slung the it on your shoulder he caught a glimpse of his bracelet, still on your wrist.

“You don’t have to wear that anymore,” he mumbled. “I turned off the monitor when I got back from the hospital.”

“But I want to,” you admitted. He looked at you in surprise for a split second and then turned away. You unlocked the door and stepped out, checking left and right to see if Eren was still there. Levi walked out, leaving his blazer hanging over his arm as he adjusted his collar. You waited a couple minutes more, still trying to stay steady on your feet before exiting the bathroom. As you rounded the corner, you saw Eren leaning up against the wall, waiting for you. Your heart sank. This meant he had seen Levi come through as well. You tried to keep your face blank as you walked by him, hoping he was just drunk enough not to pay attention.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you heard him say behind you. You stopped and turned around, warily watching him push himself off the wall and stagger over to you. “You’re with _him?”_

“Eren, it’s not what you think,” you said, stepping away from him. He looked furious and you couldn’t pinpoint why. Your nonexistent relationship with Levi had nothing to do with him.

“It doesn’t matter what I think, right? Because you only care about me when you feel guilty about what you did. Then you give me the pity party and leave me alone again,” he slurred. You were horrified, completely taken aback by what he was saying.

“I…Eren, you don’t mean that,” you said softly.

“Eren!” you heard someone cry out from behind you. Armin came running out of the banquet hall. He took a moment to register what was going on in front of him.

“What happened?” he asked, looking between you and Eren. You couldn’t speak, you couldn’t do anything but stand there and feel the tears prick the corners of your eyes as you tried to understand where Eren was coming from.

“Aria’s sleeping with her boss,” Eren said, looking at the ground. Armin turned to face you, eyes wide in worry.

“And that’s none of your concern,” Armin said firmly, moving to prop Eren upright. “Come on, you’re drunk. I’ll take you home.”

Eren looked too defeated to even argue, he just let Armin drag him to the lobby of the hotel, leaving you alone in the hallway feeling like shit. Taking slow deep breaths to get yourself together, you smoothed out your dress and walked back into the party, making a beeline straight for Petra.

“Hey, where have you been?” she asked, looking up at you as you took your seat.

“Bathroom,” you mumbled. Petra nodded in understanding as she took a bite of her cheesecake.

“Here,” she said, putting a plate in front of you. “I saved you some before the boys finished all of it. Do you know where Armin and Eren went?”

You winced slightly at the mention of Eren but you tried to keep it together. “Yeah, Eren was kind of plastered so Armin took him home.”

“Mm, good idea. Gunther challenged him shot for shot and I guess he couldn’t keep up,” she said. Oluo laughed.

“Gunther wouldn’t let a little college boy beat him, would he now?” he joked. You let out a weak laugh and kept your focus on the array of sweets in front of you.

After the desserts were taken away, the floor was opened up for dancing, but you were not in the mood. Petra tried to coax you into dancing with her, but you politely declined and said that you didn’t want to mess up your dress. She shrugged her shoulders and bounced off to the dance floor, leaving you alone at the table.

You held your phone in your hands, debating if you wanted to text Armin if he got home okay, but decided not to. It was too soon, too delicate of a situation and it was best if you handled it sober. You were trying to understand why Eren was so upset, but it was quite easy to put two and two together. Somehow, in all the chaos of the last couple months, Eren Yeager had caught feelings for you. You almost laughed at the irony of the situation; Levi had been right all along. You resolved to clear things up as soon as possible. Eren was a dear friend to you and you didn’t want to hurt him anymore than you already did.

You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t hear Levi pull up a chair next to you, and you jumped when he spoke up.

“Are you good?” he asked. You turned to him and gave him a wide smile, hoping that he didn’t see the distraught look you had just moments before.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” you answered. You paused for a moment before speaking up again. “Eren’s mad at me.”

“I don’t give a fuck how that brat feels,” he responded, crossing his legs in his chair.

“He’s been through a lot, Levi,” you argued. He wasn’t looking at you anymore, his eyes were on the agents dancing in the middle of the room. You were thankful the lights were off and that only the strobe lights were running. “I guess he just got attached.”  
  
He turned to look at you again, eyes boring into yours as the colorful lights flashed on his ivory skin. Your heart skipped a beat and you couldn’t control the words that came out of your mouth next.

“I want to kiss you again,” you whispered. You could have sworn you saw his pupils dilate as he leaned forward. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he responded.

“Oh yeah?” he said. “My place or yours?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do.  
> I really channeled Chris Evans' red carpet looks for Erwin at the banquet and that Will Smith meme of him showing off his wife for Petra and the squad. Fun times.  
> Anywho, thank you all so much for over 1000 hits! I am so happy you're all here. Please drop of a comment, I'd love to hear your opinions and feedback or general Levi Ackerman love. Until next time!


	9. stopgap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we begin just quick note that there is a major timeskip in this chapter!

You were silent during the taxi ride in pure anticipation. Levi’s hand never left your thigh as the car wove through the streets of London. You were nervous and a little bit giddy at the prospect of spending the night at his apartment. So far, he had been the one coming over consistently and you had yet to see the living quarters of the legend himself. You were staring out the window in awe of the London nightlife, enjoying the throngs of people dancing and drinking outside the colorful pubs.

“Do you miss it?” you heard Levi ask behind you as your eyes followed the twinkling streetlights. You turned your head to look at him and smiled.

“Miss what?” you asked innocently, knowing full well what he was implying.

“America, your old home,” he replied, cocking his head to the side. You nodded thoughtfully and returned your gaze out the window.

“Sometimes I feel lonely and I miss my friends terribly, but now I feel like I am finally fitting in, so that feeling goes away,” you responded.

“Just your friends? What about your family?” Levi asked, shifting his position to look at you better. You dropped your hands into your lap and looked down at your green dress. _Why does it always have to come back to this?_

“My family situation is a little shitty at the moment. Before I got the offer from the MI6, I found out my dad had been cheating on my mom. It nearly tore all of us apart. My mom and I never had a good relationship, but we got close trying to get through it all,” you said, tears springing into your eyes as you remembered those difficult times. “Since I left I have yet to talk to him. I just feel guilty leaving her behind, you know? But she needs to heal on her own, too. So I’m giving everyone space until they’re ready.”

You didn’t dare look up as Levi scooted over in the seat to come closer to you. He placed a comforting hand on your cheek and turned your face to look at him. You both just took the moment to look at each other, letting all the emotions flow through you. He brought his thumb up to swipe away the stray tears that had slipped and you relaxed your head in his hand, succumbing to the pining sensation in your body.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. You were taken aback at his open display of remorse, but you closed your eyes as he leaned forward to kiss you, slow and meaningful, as if he wanted you to feel how sad he was for you. As much as you didn’t want his pity, you tilted your head up and leaned back against the door, allowing him to come closer as his hand snaked up your thigh and rested on your hip.

His mouth was getting rougher on yours, hands gripping your body as if it was the only thing left on the planet, tight enough to potentially bruise. Running your hand up his spine, it rested on his neck and he groaned at your touch, your fingers idly stroking the soft skin behind his ear. He wanted more, as did you, but the jolt of the car stopping at a red light broke the two of you apart. You both looked at each other, laughing softly as you remembered where you were. Sitting up, you smoothed out your dress as Levi wiped his mouth and sat back in his seat, his fingers toying with yours. Your heart felt like it could burst; the anxiety surrounding your family situation completely gone and replaced with lust and desire for the man sitting next to you. You wanted to give him everything if only to see his smile and hear his laughter once more, and that realization only made this moment better.

“We’re here,” Levi announced as the driver pulled up the curb outside a lavish row of condominium houses. Levi climbed out of his seat and jogged around to open the door for you. Gathering your dress in one hand, you stepped out and took his hand as he helped you out. You walked up the small set of stairs together and he opened the door to his home.

It was nothing short of spotless, but what else could you expect? Levi’s home was immaculate, a balanced contrast between white walls and dark furniture with some tasteful art hanging on the walls. You were particularly bemused by a painting of the New York skyline, which sent a pang of longing down your spine. As you bent down to undo the straps of your heels, Levi shrugged off his blazer and hung it in the coat closet. He unbuttoned the sleeves of his shirt and rolled them up to his elbows as he walked towards the kitchen.

“Do you want anything to drink?” he asked. You blew your hair out of your face as you struggled to respond from your awkward position.

“Something strong, please,” you managed to huff out. The champagne you had at the banquet was no longer enough for you, and you needed a bit of liquid courage after taking in the sheer vastness of Levi’s home. Kicking off your shoes, you straightened up and padded into the living room, completely taken aback by the floor to ceiling windows that lined the walls. You could see most of the city from the couch, making out the London Eye from behind the rows of lit buildings. You couldn’t help but let out an impressed whistle.

“Wait till you watch the sunrise,” Levi whispered in your ear from behind you. You shivered as you turned around, accepting the drink he held out for you. It was a whiskey of some sort and you scrunched your nose as you took a sip.

“Not a fan?” Levi challenged over the rim of his glass. You smiled politely and shook your head.

“I’m more of a cocktail kind of girl,” you admitted.

“Really now? Wasn’t it just last week you were knocking back shots of tequila on a Sunday night?” he quipped, setting his glass down and sitting on his sleek black sofa. You rolled your eyes and walked over to the window.

“I had a rough weekend, okay? Cut me a little slack,” you mumbled into your drink. You could feel his eyes on you, roaming up and down your body like a predator. You tried your best to ignore him and focus on the view but every one of your nerves felt like they were on fire. You downed the rest of your drink and turned around, facing Levi head on.

“How about now?” he asked, his voice huskier than usual. “Still having a rough day?”

“No,” you responded a little breathlessly. “I’m feeling much better.”

“Hm, I wonder why,” he teased, taking another sip of his drink. You let out an exasperated huff and turned away again.

“Strip for me, Aria,” he whispered, eyes challenging you through the reflection of the glass window as he reached forward to set his drink down. Your breath caught in your throat as you processed his demand, but wasn’t this what you wanted?

Turning around slowly, you slid your fingers under the straps of your dress and pulled them down your shoulders, not taking your eyes off of Levi. He was mesmerized, watching you from his comfortable position on the couch. As the straps fell loose, you tugged the zipper on the side of your gown, pulling it down inch by inch. As soon as you let go, the green satin pooled around your feet, leaving you in nothing but your underwear and jewelry. You walked over to him, sitting on the table directly in front of him.

Delicately crossing your legs, you sensually ran your hands in your hair, pulling it all back before letting it fall loose around your bare shoulders and back. Levi’s mouth was parted, completely awestruck in the show you were putting on and you smirked, feeling more confident by the second. This man wanted you as much as you did him, there was no doubt about that now.

“Your turn,” you suggested, smiling coyly as you watched him sit up. His hands automatically reached to unbutton his shirt, and he didn’t take his time undoing the belt on his pants. You both were drinking each other in, before you couldn’t take it anymore.

You pushed yourself off the table and stood over him, your bare chest lined with his as you put your fingers under his jaw and tilted his head up to yours. You loved the way his silky black hair fell back in response to your motions, and you ran your hand behind his head, through his undercut and into the crown of his head as you lowered your lips down to meet his. Immediately his mouth moved in response to yours, and you continued kissing him as you sunk down into his lap, running your hands across his body, feeling the muscles ripple under his skin as he moved to hold you close.

Your hips moved slowly over his and you let out a little whine as you felt him tense up under you. As you grinded against him, your hands travelled lower between your bodies until you felt him harden against your palm. He groaned as you moved your hand idly over the shaft, letting you tease him with your actions while your mouth moved against his. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he grabbed your body and pulled it under him so that he was settled over you on the couch. Shifting your weight so that you were comfortably laying down, you wrapped both your hands around his neck and held him close. He kissed you back harder, pushing every ounce of himself on top of you and you felt every inch of him burn against your naked body.

His hands made quick work of the last remaining fabric before making their way between your thighs. You immediately let go and arched your back, moaning his name louder than you’d liked. He was fast and efficient, his long slender fingers making quick work of your body. You felt the flush creep onto your chest as he brought you closer to your climax, but just as you were about to reach your peak, he stopped. You frowned, looking down at him as he kissed your navel before going down on you completely. This time, he did not hold back.

As his tongue explored your body, you couldn’t bite back from panting and calling out his name in pleasure, goading him on with every syllable that came out of your mouth. He didn’t stop until you saw stars, stepping back only when you cried his name out loudly and released your hold on his hair to grip the arm of the couch as your body convulsed under him. Levi grinned down at you, eyes bright as he took in the sight of you in your most vulnerable state.

“Holy fucking shit,” you breathed out, eyes glazed over. You brought your hands up to your cheeks in an attempt to cool down, but Levi had taken to stroking his fingers over the curves of your body, exploring the places he had neglected earlier.

“You like that, huh,” he smirked, slowly collecting your hands and raising them to the top of your head. You looked up at him in confusion, unsure what he was planning on doing. He pinned your wrists together above your head and used his free hand to line himself up to you. “Are you ready?”

You nodded and closed your eyes as Levi pushed into you, grunting as he adjusted to the tightness. Slowly he began to set a pace and you pushed against his hand to reach out and touch him. “Patience, Aria. Right now, I just want you to watch me.”

You looked up at him in surprise and bit your lip to keep you from saying anything. You watched as he continued to move against you, pushing his hand down on your stomach to steady himself as his hips continued to thrust into you.

You felt the tension coil inside you again as your breathing became uneven, and you continued to resist Levi’s tight hold on you to move your body as you reached your climax once again. Crying out in sheer ecstasy, the band snapped and you choked out his name, crying out for him to “keep fucking _going”_ and “oh god, please don’t stop” as you climaxed. Your chest was heaving as he finished all over you and you watched it trickled into the crevices on your body.

For a moment, you were both still, basking in the tingling sensations that were running up and down your body. Levi pushed himself off you and walked into a bedroom, only to return with a damp washcloth. You rubbed your sore wrists as he cleaned up the mess he made, gently wiping away at you. Once he cleaned you up, he extended a hand out to you and helped you walk over to his bedroom.

“Ah, so this is where the magic happens,” you joked, looking around the room. It was more or less the same design as the living room; white walls and a dark mahogany bed with matching furniture. Levi chuckled and shook his head as he headed into the bathroom and a few seconds later, you heard the sound of the shower running. He peaked his head out from behind the door and asked, “Are you coming?”

You couldn’t hold back a smile from the double entendre but you nodded and gleefully skipped over to the bathroom. It was huge, way bigger than the one in your measly apartment, furnished with ceramic white tiles and a glass shower, which was already steaming up. As you stepped inside, you almost lost yourself again in the warmth of the water, only briefly mourning the loss of your pretty hairstyle. It was worth it, if only to feel Levi’s taut body behind yours, kissing your shoulder as he moved the wet strands to the front. Lathering the soap in your hands, you began cleaning yourself, but Levi had other plans.

His hands moved slowly from your shoulders down to your hips and ass, and he pulled you closer to him, so that your back was flush with his chest. You felt him against you, already ready for another round. As the soap rinsed off your body, he turned you around and pushed you up against the tiled wall, kissing your neck and lifting your leg simultaneously.

“Mm, you smell so good,” you whispered. He planted a kiss on your jaw as he entered you again, the slick from the water making it easier this time.

“And now you smell like me,” he responded, slowly thrusting into you. There was no rush, no frantic energy behind him anymore, it was just him worshipping your body in the steamy atmosphere of the shower. You wrapped your arms around him as he nuzzled into your neck and you closed your eyes in contentment. _This was something you could get used to. No more pressure from work, no Mikasa bullshit. Just the two of you in your own little bubble._

After, you dried off with one of his towels and he handed you a t-shirt to sleep in. Levi went into the kitchen to brew himself a cup of tea as you lay in his sheets, completely satisfied. As you felt yourself falling asleep, he came in and lay down next to you, kissing your temple as your eyelids fluttered shit. Your heart was full and you slept with a smile on your face.

You woke up with the sunlight streaming on the bed. You would have stayed asleep longer, but the rustling in the bedroom caused you to lazily open your eyes and look around. It took you a second to remember where you were but the sight of a sweaty Levi in workout clothes caused you sit up entirely.

“Good morning,” you mumbled. Levi was standing in front of his wardrobe in a dark grey t-shirt and black running shorts, complete with a black athletic hairband on his head. He took a sip of water from the bottle in his hand before addressing you.

“Hey,” he said, nodding his head in your direction. He began rummaging around the closet as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Feeling?” you echoed sleepily. You let out a big yawn as you stretched out in his bed, keenly aware of his eyes on you. You were still wearing his t-shirt, the thin fabric doing the bare minimum in hiding the curvature of your chest. “I’m feeling okay…I think.”

Truth was you were definitely a bit sore from last night, and you knew to expect marks and bruises in places you didn’t want to find them. You fell back onto the pillows and used your arm to shield your eyes from the sunlight.

“Good. Give me a minute, I’m going to shower and then I can make us some breakfast,” he said, throwing a towel over his shoulder and walking into the bathroom. Your eyes flew open from under your forearm. _Did he just say breakfast? Breakfast is a couple thing, Levi never stayed for breakfast at my place. Shit was I supposed to leave last night?_

Your heart racing, you quickly rolled out of bed and “borrowed” a pair of Levi’s shorts, tugging them on as you ran out the bedroom and into the living room. On the floor you found the physical remnants of last night; your dress crumpled up next to the window and your purse flung over the armchair. You quickly grabbed your things and tiptoed to the door, picking up your heels before stepping out. Before you could think twice about your abrupt exit, you hailed a taxi and made your way home.

Throwing your items on the bed, you walked over to your nightstand and plugged in your phone, waiting for it to come back to life. After changing into your own clothes, you threw Levi’s into the wash and checked the screen. There were several missed calls from Armin and a few texts from Eren, which you didn’t want to look at. Slightly panicking, you walked circles around your apartment while chewing on your fingernails to keep you from internally combusting.

You knew your feelings for Levi were finally coming to a head, so why couldn’t you just grow a pair and tell him already? You wondered if it was the fallout with Eren that was holding you back, so you decided to bite the bullet and call Armin back.

“Hello?” he answered after a couple rings. “Aria?”

“Hey, Armin, good morning,” you said, cringing slightly.

“Perfect timing, I am just finishing up making some eggs and toast. You could come over, if you’d like,” he offered. “Eren’s almost done with the assignment he had due today.”

“Ah, Eren stayed over,” you realized. You almost backed out, but the thought of a hot breakfast at a place other than your own or Levi’s made your stomach growl. “Okay, I’ll be there in a bit.”

You decided to walk over to Armin’s since he didn’t live too far from you and the weather was brilliant compared to the past week, considering it was the middle of November and meant to be freezing. As the breeze flew through your hair, you adjusted the sunglasses on your face and shrugged off the cardigan you were wearing. You felt a slight buzzing come from your pocket and you pulled out your phone to see that Levi was calling. Your heart almost stopped and you gaped at the screen before answering his call.

“Hi,” you answered sheepishly. You could almost feel Levi’s anger radiate through the phone.

“Where the hell are you?” he asked. You gulped and took a deep breath before answering.

“I...uh…something came up at Armin’s and I had to go,” you said, picking up the pace of your walk.

“You could have just told me you didn’t want to stay for breakfast, Aria,” Levi responded in an accusatory tone. “I’ll have you know I’m not that bad of a chef.”

“I promise you next time I will eat whatever you cook, okay?” you said before realizing what actually came out of your mouth.

“Ah, so there’s gonna be a next time?” he asked and could have sworn he sounded almost hopeful. You let out a little giggle.

“If that’s what you want,” you teased. There was a silence and you waited with baited breath to see how he would respond.

“Dinner at my place, tomorrow night. Erwin’s giving us the day off so it shouldn’t be a problem,” he stated. You rolled your eyes. _How come I am always the last to know about these things?_

“Sounds good, see you then,” you said before hanging up. You couldn’t fight the big smile that came on your face as you realized Levi had just officially asked you out.

Once you reached Armin’s building, you buzzed his apartment and stepped into the elevator, taking this chance to read Eren’s texts from last night.

 **Aria, I’m sorry** , one of them read, followed by **Please don’t hate me.** and **I’ll do better.** The last one worried you the most. You hadn’t realized how much of an influence you had become on Eren, especially now that he was reconsidering his entire career choice out of the blue. You hoped that this conversation would set things straight and everything would be back to normal.

“Aria, good morning,” Armin greeted you as he opened the door. Your nose picked up the scent of scrambled eggs and buttered toast wafting from the kitchen. You smiled at him and walked inside, taking off your shoes at the entrance. As you stood up, you saw Eren’s tall frame peek out from the living room and he waved to you awkwardly.

“Hi Eren, how are you?” you asked politely. He scratched the back of his head as he responded.

“I woke up with a nasty headache, but I feel better now,” he responded. The two of you walked into the kitchen, where Armin had set out the food on the counter. The three of you wolfed down your food in silence, only stopping to ask someone to pass the salt or to thank Armin for the meal. Once you were done, you took you plate to the sink and began to rinse it, trying to bide time before having to sit down with Eren.

“Did you know we had the day off tomorrow?” you asked Armin. He looked up from his plate mid-chew in surprise.

“Did I not tell you?” he said, swallowing his bite. You glared at him as you wiped the dish clean.

“You’re such a horrible boss, you know that? Can you imagine if I went into work and no one was there?” you countered. Armin gulped and looked down at his food, guilt written across his boyish features.

“It would have been funny though,” Eren piped up. Armin snorted into his eggs and you angrily flipped Eren off.

After the meal the three of you went into Armin’s living room, settling into the various armchairs and couches that scattered the place. Despite Armin’s young demeanor, his style and decoration choices were unique; an eclectic mix of modern and vintage décor with lots of indoor plants nested around the apartment.

“Aria, I just wanted to say I am so fucking sorry about what I said last night,” Eren started. “It was way out of line and flat out untrue. I don’t think of you like that, I never have. I don’t know what came over me and why I said that in the first place.”

His jade eyes were wide and sincere, and you felt the anxiety that was building in you start to fade. Armin sat in the corner munching on a piece of toast, warily watching the two of you navigate this uncomfortable conversation.

“I know that things have been weird ever since Zeke’s arrest, and I know it’s been hard for you,” you said slowly, trying to find the right words to say. “I care about you a lot Eren, and for many reasons. Maybe it _is_ my guilt manifesting, or maybe you’re just so annoying I can’t help it.”

Eren cracked up at your joke and sat up in his armchair. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said the other day, about how the world is shitty and your job is to help make it marginally better and whatnot, and I think I want be a part of that. I mean maybe not what you guys do like fix computers and stuff, I could never do that.”

Armin and you shared a glance of exasperation before glaring daggers at Eren.

“Oi, you know I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not smart enough for that shit,” Eren said defensively. “I mean I wanna take down the bad guys and stuff, like Gunther and them.”

You nodded in understanding, starting to realize that you were watching Eren find his purpose in real time. It made sense; falling into this world without caution must have made him more susceptible to the notion that there’s more people out there like Zeke Yeager, and finally having a clear path would help him gain the confidence and skills he needs to fulfill his desires.

“When do you plan on graduating and stuff? I mean the recruitment process is not easy and neither is boot camp,” you explained. “Not that Armin and I would know anything about MI6 boot camp. Blondie over here gets to skip out of experiencing all the physical and emotional torture that comes with being an agent, and I did my boot camp in America.”

Armin rolled his eyes. “You make it seem like I have it so easy. The real torture was having you as my subordinate.”

“Oh, look at that. Armin bringing out the claws, we love to see it,” you laughed. He gave you a cheeky smile before ducking his head in embarrassment. “Oh look, now he’s shy.”

Eren smiled at the interaction as he pulled out his phone. “I’ve made somewhat of a timeline. If I take a few more classes in the summer I can still graduate by next spring, which means I can get through boot camp and be a junior agent by next fall or winter. If all goes well.”

“I’m sure you can do it,” you said sincerely. “It definitely doesn’t hurt that you have friends on the inside. Commander Smith could write you a fantastic letter of recommendation.”

Eren’s face lit up as he realized the gravity of your words. “Would he? I never asked him. Maybe now I will.” He pondered it a moment before frowning. “Maybe he won’t though, since his ‘right hand man’ or whatever still hates me.”  
  
Your heart skipped a beat as you realized he was talking about Levi. “Captain Ackerman doesn’t hate you. He just thinks you’re young and naïve, both of which are true.”

Eren smirked. “Captain Ackerman now, is it? Last night it was _Levi,”_ he said, exaggerating his name in a fake moan. Your eyes widened and you made a move to smack him with the pillow.

“Shut the fuck up,” you squealed, your face hot.

“Seriously though,” Armin said, finally finding footing in the conversation. “What is going on between the two of you?”

You glanced nervously at Eren before responding. “I don’t want you guys to get the wrong idea of me, okay? I don’t and have never done anything like this, usually. But I really think I’m starting to fall for him. And I don’t think it’s a one-sided thing either? I don’t know.”

Armin’s blue eyes landed on you, analyzing your face before widening in surprise. “You like him, don’t you? More than just hooking up or whatever it is you two do behind closed doors. You really have feelings for him.”

“Have you told him?” Eren asked, looking at you expectantly.

“No, of course not! Are you kidding? I barely know him!” you cried out. “We’re just gonna take it slow, I think. Get to know each other better, go on dates and stuff…maybe?”

“Wow, Aria and the Captain,” Armin said slowly, leaning back into his chair. “Who would have thought?”

The three of you fell silent as you all pondered the possibility of the two of you being together. The more you considered it, the more valid your feelings for him felt. You wanted him, yes, but it was more than that. The two of you were hardwired soldiers, solely driven by work and passion for what you did. Finding someone to be your better half was never part of the equation, but sometimes the universe does it anyway.

After hugging the boys goodbye, you walked back home feeling like a huge load had been lifted off your shoulders. Hopefully Eren would move forward with more clarity on what he wanted in life, without having to be distracted by anything. You probably looked stupid, smiling widely on the sidewalk in the middle of the day, but you felt content at last, knowing that you had finally found your place across the ocean.

~

You woke up in Levi’s bed, groaning at the sore sensation from your arms and upper back. Levi had been getting you into working out again, and while the results were definitely paying off, the pain made you question if it was worth it every morning. You rolled over and planted a small kiss on Levi’s cheek, smiling as you observed his sleeping form. The usual frown lines were tamed and his ivory skin stood out against the navy blue sheets on the bed.

“Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to start the kettle,” Levi mumbled. You huffed and lay back on your pillow, snuggling closer to him. “Go make yourself useful if you’re awake,” he groaned.

Frowning, you rolled out of bed and stretched before tying up your hair and grabbing your discarded robe from the foot of the bed. You poured water into the tea kettle and set it on the stove. As the water boiled, you walked over to Levi’s bathroom and brushed your teeth, admiring the mini set up you had going on over the bathroom counter. In fact, most of Levi’s apartment was now littered with your knick knacks, evidence of your growing relationship and trust in each other.

Today was Eren’s college graduation ceremony, marking the day he was going to transition from a college asshat to a full fledged Trainee. You were beyond excited to see him today, ready to congratulate him on working his ass off to finish his Criminology degree in record time.

The kettle started to whistle, so you finished washing and prepping your face to go turn it off. As you walked past the bedroom, you saw Levi sitting up in bed, scrolling through his phone.

“Any emails from work?” you asked hesitantly, not wanting an excuse to have to go in today. He looked up at you and smiled.

“No, nothing of importance,” he responded. “I still don’t understand why you’re taking me to that stupid brat’s ceremony anyway.”  
  
“Come on now,” you called out from the kitchen. “Don’t act like you haven’t warmed up to him. It’s not like he doesn’t come over for dinner every week or he doesn’t train with you and Gunther.”  
  
“Irrelevant,” he said as he stood up, his muscles tightening as he stretched. You took a moment to admire his shirtless body, clad in only a pair of pajama pants and slippers. “I can’t wait till he gets shipped out for boot camp next week, that way I don’t have to see his stupid face for the rest of the year.”

As he rummaged through the cupboards for his tea leaves, you brewed yourself a cup of coffee, quietly ruminating over how life would be without Eren’s constant presence. A lot had changed over the last few months, but you were positive it was all for the better.

The morning was brisk and sunny, putting you in an even better mood. As Levi pulled into the parking lot for the London Metropolitan University stadium, you texted Armin that you had arrived. Grabbing the bouquet of flowers, you stepped out of the Audi and smoothed the pink sundress you were wearing. Levi closed the door behind you and took your hand as you both made your way inside the hall.

“I wonder if he’ll trip and fall as he walks across that stage,” he mused not-so-silently. You couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle before glaring at him.

“Damn, I wish my graduation looked like this,” you said, looking at the brilliantly lit ceremony. “Mine was a shitty shout out on a laptop and a diploma sent in the post.”

Levi glanced at you from the corner of his eye as his lips quirked up in a slight smile. “The post? Look at you, picking up the jargon.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m serious! I finished my degree in the middle of a deployment in Afghanistan. I would have loved to have something like this. Oh, I see Armin!”

He was seated in a row on the right side of the stadium, waving down at you.

“Hello bossman,” you greeted him as you scooted down the aisle. Armin had grown into his round, kind face recently. Eren had roped him into his workout regimen and it suited him. His jawline was more prominent, and it affected the way he carried himself as well.

“Good morning Aria, Captain,” he said, nodding at Levi as he sat down next to you. After catching up for a bit, the lights dimmed and the ceremony started. One by one the graduates walked in and took their seats in the middle of the hall, organized by major. You craned your neck to try to find Eren, but the angle wasn’t good enough so you sat down with a frustrated sigh.

There were several guest speakers who spoke about a hopeful future and the power of working hard, all of which you enjoyed thoroughly. Finally, after the Dean addressed the students one last time, the ceremony began. One by one the graduates walked across the stage until finally Eren’s row stood up. Having the last name Yeager, he was bound to be going up towards the end, something Levi kept grumbling about as each row passed.

“Eren Yeager!” the woman announced as you stood up and cheered for him. He had a big smile on his face as he shook her hand, and he waved in the audience’s direction before stepping off and returning to his seat. Armin was clapping profusely as you yelled his name, hoping he would hear you from the seats below.

As the graduates crossed the stage, you were toying with Levi’s fingers as he traced patterns on your thigh. He was absentmindedly reading an article on his phone with his free hand, frowning at whatever was on the screen.

“Look at this bullshit,” he said. “The press is blaming us for letting Willy Tybur get away. As if we didn’t do enough to stop his entire fucking terrorist organization. Pathetic.”

As much as you wanted to keep the moment light-hearted, there was a pang of stress that shot down your spine. The constant reminder that the ringmaster behind everything was still running around was a sore point for everyone on the team. Instead, you reached over and plucked Levi’s phone from his hand and set it down in your lap before leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek.

“You know we have agents tracking his bank accounts and his assets. If anything pops up, you will be the first to know, okay? Don’t worry about what the news says,” you said, giving him a big smile. It bothered you too, but you knew better than to address it right now.

The rest of the event went by quickly and before you knew it, the three of you were heading downstairs to officially congratulate Eren. As you searched for him in the courtyard, you found him talking to an older man with shaggy brown hair and thin, circular glasses. Eren caught sight of the trio and waved you over excitedly.

“Congratulations Eren!” you said brightly, thrusting bouquet of flowers in his direction. He was beaming, shaking everyone’s hand as they approached him. Even Levi muttered a “Congrats, brat” and gave him an affirming nod.

“Thanks guys! I’m so happy you all came! By the way, I wanted to introduce you all to my father, Dr. Yeager,” he said, gesturing towards the man next to him. Dr. Grisha Yeager gave a small wave as the attention turned to him.

He didn’t look much like his dad, you decided. Besides the hair, there wasn’t much they had in common physically. _I wonder what his mom looked like, and if Eren got his pretty eyes from her._

After a brief introduction from everyone, Dr. Yeager’s eyes went wide as he realized the group of people he was finally meeting for the first time.

“I take it you are responsible for the apprehension of my son, Zeke,” he said. There was stone cold silence for a brief second. Finally, Levi cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“Ah, yes. About that…have you been briefed on visitation rights?” he asked. You felt uncomfortable, and Eren reached out and put a hand on his father’s shoulder. Dr. Yeager grimaced briefly before standing straight.

“Yes, I have. However, I am choosing not to meet him. Whatever punishment he ultimately gets, he deserves. I am not proud of what he did, and I commend you all for the work you have done,” he stated, looking at everyone in the eye. You ducked your head in acknowledgement of his praise, happy for the tension to be gone. “Besides, I only have you all to thank for helping my son find some direction in his life.”

He glanced over at Eren with a proud smile on his face, and Eren gave a sappy grin in embarrassment.

Everyone went back to Armin’s place, save for Eren’s dad who had to go back to work. Armin had set up a selection of baked goods and snacks and the Levi Squad pulled up with some drinks, and before you knew it, there was a full-on reunion. Hange and Moblit showed up with a couple bottles of champagne, and popping the corks delighted Hange to no end. As you sipped on your drink and chatted with Petra, you remembered the first time you finally told her about your budding relationship with Levi.

She had been suspecting something was going on since the banquet, considering the fact that she saw the two of you leave together, but it wasn’t until she popped over to your apartment on a casual Saturday morning ready to go shopping that she found out. Levi had just left and you were fresh out of the shower, complete with hickeys and love bites scattered up and down your body. As you let Petra in, her eyes had widened in shock and you had to spend several embarrassing minutes trying to calm her down. When you finally told her, she was ecstatic, citing that when her and Oluo’s relationship gained more traction, she would use you as a scapegoat.

“Oluo!? Since when?” you had asked incredulously. She shrugged her shoulders and stated that they had been hooking up on and off for a couple months at that point, but she was ready to take it further. Fast forward to now, they were definitely serious and had even invited you and Levi on double dates, which he immediately refused.

She was just in the middle of giving you a salad recipe when the door flew open and several college graduates walked in with cases of beer. Armin looked up in shock as Eren greeted the group of them, introducing them as his college friends and teammates. Someone set up a speaker and began blasting music as poor Armin scrambled to find more food to accommodate the newcomers. Almost immediately, several of them hopped onto the balcony to shotgun some cans with Eren while Gunther and Eld set up a pong table. The party was in full swing and you felt yourself relax as the cocktail you had been drinking began to take effect.

A few of Eren’s friends came up to you and Petra, eyes sparkling as they acknowledged the only seemingly available women in the room. Moblit and Hange were ogling over Armin’s collection of indoor plants, and none of them knew about either of your relationships, which was about to become a problem.

“Hey ladies, care for a drink?” one of them asked. You gave a small smile and raised your already full glass, trying to indicate that you were good.

“No thank you,” Petra said politely, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she turned back to you to finish the conversation. They didn’t seem to get the hint. One of them leaned against the wall behind you, so close you could feel his musty breath tickling your neck as he tried to talk to Petra.

“So you guys Eren’s friends? Never seen you on campus before,” another one said, coming closer to the pair of you. Once they made their claim, the other guys backed off and entertained themselves elsewhere. You were mildly irritated, not wanting to give them an ounce of attention, but they began invading your personal space.

“We’re just acquaintances from work,” you said monotonously.

“Really? I didn’t know Eren had such cute coworkers. Fuck, I didn’t even know he had a job,” he laughed.

“Sorry, we have to use the ladies’ room,” Petra said, pulling you away from them. They half-heartedly let you go, and you couldn’t help but snort out a laugh as she dragged you into the hallway outside the bedroom.

“Armin’s apartment has one bathroom, Petra,” you laughed. She giggled as she took a sip of her drink. Suddenly, she straightened up as she made eye contact with someone behind you.

“What, are they coming back?” you asked, worried you would have to smell their stench again. Instead, she shook her head and widened her eyes.

“What the hell is going on,” Levi seethed, coming up behind you and placing a protective hand over your back.

“Levi, not here,” you whispered. You didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable with any public displays of affection, and Levi wasn’t the type to dish it out anyway, which was good enough for you.

“They’re just horny motherfuckers, don’t mind them Captain,” Petra chirped. You could feel Levi tense up behind you so you turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, hoping no one was paying the three of you any mind.

“All good, okay?” you smiled in reassurance. You couldn’t help it, deep down there was a part of you that enjoyed this side to Levi. There was no doubt in your mind that he was possessive, but the extents he was willing to go to protect the things he cared about made you feel some type of way. It took a lot of willpower to keep you from dragging him into Armin’s bedroom to show him who you belonged to, but you decided to save that for later.

As the guests became progressively more drunk, Armin began shooing them out of his place and into cabs, sending them on their way with a sigh of relief each time. Before you knew it, it was just him, Eren, Levi and yourself. You offered to help Armin clean in hopes that Levi and Eren would get a little bit of quality time together.

“It’s gonna be weird without Eren,” Armin mused as he wiped his countertop clean. You tied up a garbage bag and added it to the pile.

“He’s gonna be back before we know it,” you reassured him. “And then we can see him every day at work.”

“Let’s be honest, Aria. Does he have a shot?” he asked, wringing out the washcloth in his sink.

“Look, he has all of us on his side. He has experience and his physical fitness is great. I don’t see why not,” you said. Armin nodded, but you could sense he was still worried. As Eren’s best friend, he wondered if his lifestyle had influenced him too much into wanting to become an agent and if his dreams got crushed, he would feel responsible. “We only have a couple days left before he ships out, let’s just enjoy them, okay?”

And so you did. You spent as much time with Eren as possible, training him on everything he needed to know before going to boot camp. Levi conducted a mock physical training test with him every day to keep him in shape while Gunther and Eld took him to the range to get him comfortable with the assortment of weapons he would have to learn to wield. Everyone put in as much effort as they could to help Eren achieve his goal of becoming an agent, so when the day finally came, you couldn’t help but sniffle a bit as you said your goodbyes.

The whole gang showed up, crowding the airport terminal to send Eren off. Levi stood back and observed from a distance, not wanting to lose his parking spot while trying to look like he didn’t care. Armin came with a small orchid cupped in his hands, which he presented to Eren as a token for good luck. Eren laughed and joked that he would probably kill it, so it was best for Armin to hold on to it until he got back. Gunther, Eld and Oluo solemnly promised to stay sober the entirety of his departure, which you knew was a total lie and Petra called them out on it immediately. Then it was your turn. You pulled him into a quick hug, ruffling his hair before stepping back.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” you warned, tears springing in your eyes. “Don’t talk back to your drill instructors and make sure you get enough sleep, okay?”

“Yes, yes I know,” he said fondly, looking down at you with a sad smile. “You’ve already told me everything. Now I just have to get out there and do the damn thing.”

As he stepped inside the airport, he shifted his bag over his shoulder and waved goodbye before disappearing in the bustle. You dropped your hand and wiped the tears from your face before walking back towards Levi.

“Don’t tell me you’re crying,” he said, looking alarmed as you wrapped your arms around him, seeking comfort from him.

“No I’m not,” you mumbled into his chest and he groaned, already feeling the tearstains dampen his t-shirt.

“Come on, let’s get you home,” he whispered.

Levi pulled up to your apartment and walked you upstairs, his hand in yours the entire time. You were enjoying watching Levi open up as time passed in your relationship. In the beginning, your main source of physical contact with him was just sex, which you didn’t mind. As you slowly started spending more time with him sans pressure from work, you got to know him better. Levi had a taste for classical music, something you couldn’t relate to but still enjoyed. He also spent Sunday’s cleaning his apartment and then driving to work and cleaning his office. At this point, you knew better than to schedule any social obligations on that day for fear of interfering with his strict upkeep regimen. He enjoyed top shelf dark liquor occasionally, his preferences included bourbon and whiskey, and as much as he tried to share that experience with you, you would always decline and shake up a margarita just to spite him.

He would never talk about his family, even on his birthday. You knew he had a half-sister but you didn’t know much about her. The only other time he’d mentioned family was after a particularly rough night at work, you’d come over to his apartment and melted right into his arms, talking some nonsense about how much you hated messy people at work when the two of you looked at each other in pure shock before laughing about how much you were picking up Levi’s habits. That night, he held you in his arms and stroked your hair as you fell asleep, and before the tendrils of exhaustion pulled you away, you heard him whisper, “Kuchel would have loved you.” You found out later that he was talking about his mother, who had passed away when he was young. Not wanting to pry, you kept your recollection of this moment private, but every time you thought about it you felt that familiar pull in your chest that solidified your feelings for Levi Ackerman.

As you walked into your kitchen to make some dinner, Levi poked his head in and pointed towards his phone. “I have to take this,” he said. You nodded and shooed him away as you looked around the pantry.

“Yes, Erwin, what do you need?” you heard him say as he walked back to the living room. You got that feeling again, the one where you knew something bad was happening or was about to happen, but you shook your head and tried to ignore it as you boiled the pasta.

“Understood, we’re on our way,” you heard Levi’s voice call out as he jogged back to you. He hung up the phone and looked up at you, his eyes boring into you. “We have to go back, it’s urgent.”

You nodded, understanding right away that it was back to business. Shutting the stove off, you grabbed your work bag and followed Levi out.

At headquarters, Levi stopped by his office to grab his tablet and you knocked hesitantly on Commander Smith’s door. You remembered the last time you had to rush in like this; there was a bomb threat that needed to be deescalated and you were sleeping over at Levi’s. Not thinking anything of it, the two of you had raced to work together, trying to keep up with the intel that was streaming through your earpieces. As you stepped into Erwin’s office you realized that he was still in his work clothes and was looking stressed, but that didn’t let him escape noticing that the two of you had arrived at the same time.

After, once everything had been taken care of and you had all retreated into Levi’s office to work on mission reports, he had sat you both down and waited for an explanation.

Levi had cleared his throat and spoke first. “Sir, this is a formal notification that I am seeing Agent Reader. Is it going to be a problem?”

Erwin merely looked between the two of you for some time before going back to his paperwork. “As long as it doesn’t affect work, it does not matter to me.”

Since then, he said nothing of it, just idly noticing the way the two of you worked together, gradually watching him gravitate towards you more than usual and noticing him brew two cups of tea at a time every morning.

“Come on in,” Erwin’s voice shook you out of your reverie. “Agent Reader, thank you for coming in on such short notice.”

You shut the door behind you and placed your bag on the floor, awkwardly waiting for Levi to come back.

“How is everything?” he asked, shuffling some papers on his desk.

“Everything is good! Eren left today for boot camp, so it’s gonna be a quiet couple of months,” you said, taking a seat. He merely nodded as he pulled out two stacks of papers.

Levi walked in the office, not bothering to knock or announce himself first, and threw himself in the chair next to you.

“What is it, Erwin,” he said, crossing his arms. He had that look on his face again, the same cold, detached brooding look that he had the first time you met him. Feeling a sense of deja-vu, you shook your head slightly and looked down at the papers Erwin presented to you.

“In order to prevent anything from spreading, I am delivering this information to you on a need-to-know basis. Are we clear?” Commander Smith said. You nodded, trying to follow along.

“We have some movement. A large sum of money was just deposited to a deep-rooted offshore account under the Tyber family’s name,” he explained. “I think we know what this means?”

“He’s planning something,” Levi grumbled, frowning as he scanned the report in his hands.

“Not only that, the number matches the lump sum of money that was stolen from the Reiss Company’s private accounts. Since the money was being sent internationally, it popped up on our radar. Now we know where it’s been going,” Commander Smith said.

“The Tyber Corporation and Reiss Company have no legitimate connection,” you said. “Why is he stealing from them if they work in a completely different sector?”

The three of you fell silent as you tried to put the pieces together.

“We will have to dive deeper into this,” Commander Smith decided. “If he is moving money and liquidating assets, we can only assume that he is preparing to make a return. We have to prepare for that and find out what it is so we can finally apprehend him. This is our main focus starting now. Understood?”

You nodded and closed the file shut, resolving to do as much digging tonight as possible. Before you could do that, however, you needed to address the constant buzzing from your phone that was in your pocket.

Levi and Erwin were deep in conversation as you excused yourself, and you quietly shut the door behind you and pulled out your phone.

“Hello?” you answered.

“Aria! What do I do?” Armin said, sounding distressed.

“What is it? What’s happened?” you asked.

“She wants to meet me!” Armin cried out. You scrunched your brows together as you tried to understand what he was saying.

“Who are you talking about, Armin?” you said.

“Annie! The girl I’ve been talking to! She said she’s coming to London for uni and she wants to hang out!” he exclaimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends Arc 1! I was debating on starting the next portion of our story in a new work, but for consistency I think will just continue this one.  
> I hope you all enjoyed the culmination of this part! Now that we are in an established relationship, we get to explore a more domestic side to Levi! And of course our beloved characters who will make a return and and introduction to some new ones! ;) (Anyone catch my hint of Jean in the last chapter?)  
> Anywho, I am so so excited to start the next part of our mystery, and of course more fun times with Levi!
> 
> As always, let me know how you felt about this chapter, and any theories for what's to come! I love your guys' feedback! See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fanfiction in a long, long time, so please let me know on any improvements or edits I need to make! I want to say that this idea was heavily influenced by kw_writes's Love, Don't Be Shy, which is a Killing Eve-esque fic. I would also like to mention that the reader-insert's name is Aria Reader, just to keep the flow smooth.  
> I hope you enjoy!


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